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An RAF Nimrod was scrambled to help the rescue operation
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Coastguards in England and France are co-ordinating the rescue of three yachts in severe storms. Two trimarans capsized about 280 miles south west of the Isles of Scilly. A third lost its mast about 170 miles off the islands on Tuesday morning. A French warship, an RAF Nimrod, merchant vessels and fishing vessels are also involved in the rescue.
Falmouth Coastguards said it is thought one man has been hurt, but the extents of his injuries are not known. The yachts are part of a fleet of 34 competing in the Transat Jacques Vabre race between Le Havre and Brazil.
A distress beacon was fired by the two-man crew of the Orange Project when it capsized at about 0300 GMT. Both men were clinging to the overturned hull when the Nimrod arrived on scene. The plane dropped a self-inflating life raft near the stricken yacht. An RAF spokesman described it as "quite an operation". Mike Mulford said: "They calculated it should drift into the direction of the Orange Project."
The Sedebo dismasted at about 0600 GMT and is now being towed to safety by a French fishing boat. The 60ft Foncia also set of a distress beacon after it capsized in second place. French authorities are trying to find the yacht.
Another trimaran, Brossard, took refuge in Guernsey on Monday night after its central hull split. A coastguard spokesman told BBC News weather conditions were "absolutely atrocious", with 70mph (60 knots) south-westerly winds and very rough seas.
British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur is also taking part in the challenge. She is thought to have passed through the Bay of Biscay on Monday and is among the leading boats in the race.
The race features mono-hill and multi-hull boats. A Sea King helicopter from RMB Chivenor in north Devon, which was scrambled, has now returned to base and a French helicopter is now on the way to the rescue area.
