MESSENGER, a 40ft yacht with a crew of six Kent people, has rushed to the aid of a stricken competitor in the World Cruising Club's Atlantic Rally for Criuisers.

Australian yacht Mary Constance radioed for help when stranded in heavy seas with a damaged mast about 850 miles from the Caribbean island of St Lucia on Saturday.

Messenger, owned and skippered by Kent Deputy Lieutenant Edwin Boorman, was one of two fellow competitors which raced to assist. It took more than 30 hours to repair the damage and get the vessel under way again.

“Our thanks goes to Messenger as without them we probably wouldn't have completed the transfer of equipment by dark," said Mary Constance skipper Mike Franklin.

Mr Boorman, president of the KM Group, said: "For this very minor help, we are promised quite a large number of beers in St Lucia."

Messenger hopes to complete the 2,700 mile Atlantic crossing early next week after more than three weeks at sea.

* See our Atlantic crossing special report.