Sailor's SOS text message to Halesowen

A sailor adrift in the Caribbean today told how an SOS text message sent to his father at home in the Black Country sparked an international rescue mission and saved the life of a crew mate.

Former IT consultant Paul Mountjoy, 39, hit trouble when the hydraulic steering system blew out and the fluid drained.

He was left drifting between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico 24 hours from land - and to make matters worse, his 21-year-old American crew mate Cody Sweeney had fallen ill with peritonitis and was unable to help.

Unable to raise any response from the channel 16 VHF emergency channel, and with extremely poor phone signal, he sent a desperate text message to his father Keith.

Mr Mountford, aged 61, of Hammersley Close, Halesowen, was woken at 8.30am yesterday with the SOS message, which opened with: "Basically, I'm in s***".

It said the nearest port of refuge was out of reach, the coastline was hazardous and it was dark.

Mr Mountjoy immediately got in touch with Falmouth coastguards who were able to contact the Domincan rescue service.

Paul said today: "It was such a phenomenal relief when I finally managed to get through to someone.

"Cody was basically passed out in the cockpit. I had to steer the emergency tillar with my foot, standing on furniture to poke my head out the hatch to catch glimpses of the GPS system. It was a hell of an experience."

Paul was today in Samana, in the Dominican Republic, after the Dominican coastguard found them four hours after getting through to his father in Halesowen.

He said he had completed all the repairs to his boat and would be sailing to Puerto Rico on Monday to find a safe place to keep it while he returns to the UK later in the week.

Mr Mountjoy said: "I'm just happy he's back on dry land now and is safe. God bless the British coastguards."

Mr Sweeney was today recovering from an life-saving emergency operation carried out in a Dominican hospital to remove his appendix.

Paul added: "He was sailing with me to visit his girlfriend in Hamburg as he couldn't afford the flights.

"He's doing fine after the operation but the doctors said it was lucky we got him into the hospital fast as his appendix was ready to burst."

He said in any other circumstances, his son — who had bought the Hardin 45-foot ketch boat "Distraction" just days before - could have anchored the boat for the night and used the sails to return to land in the morning.

However, as his crewmate's heath was getting steadily worse, he needed to get to land.

Paul was working towards his Royal Yachting Association "Ocean Master" certificate trying to clock up sailing miles when the drama happened.

He had worked as an IT consultant in London until last year, when he decided to change his lifestyle.

He moved in with friends in Stourbridge while he saved up, and had been over in Gibraltar studying for the RYA course since March 7 when he headed across to the Carribean to help sail a boat back.

Mr Mountjoy said Paul would be searching for a safe place to harbour his boat in Tortula, the main yachting port in the British Virgin Islands, before flying home next week.

He will return to Gibraltar in July to complete his Ocean Master certificate, before starting instructor training as his new career path.