FOUR Poole sailors are lucky to be alive after their stricken yacht floundered in heavy seas, 250 miles from land in the USA.

And they could owe their lives to a last-minute piece of friendly advice from a Coast Guard, who urged them to buy a distress beacon which was activated just hours before their vessel ran into trouble.

Coast Guard in US saves local sailors The skipper of the La Bella, surveyor Colin Wetherall, 48, from Parkstone, had planned to sail his 35ft yacht from New Jersey to Bermuda for the winter with three friends - Andrew Hooper, Matthew Lange and Richard Lee.

The day they were set to weigh anchor, US Coast Guards received a call from Mr Lange's father Pete, who had been unable to contact his son and was concerned about the poor weather.

When the diligent Coast Guard officer spoke to the crew, he noticed the boat's manifest did not include a special radio distress beacon, designed to transmit the location of a vessel in an emergency, which he advised them to buy.

It was registered on Saturday, two days after the La Bella had set sail, and was activated just hours later as the crew battled for their lives in waves up to 20ft tall east of Massachusetts.

The Coast Guard alerted a Falcon jet crew from Cape Cod and thanks to the device, it was able to pinpoint the exact position of the vessel, arriving within two hours with a radio and survival suits.

Petty officer Luke Pinneo, said: "They were caught in fierce winds and rough seas that were breaking apart the boat's keel.

"If they had not been equipped with that device, we would probably still be looking for them now."

Mr Wetherall's business partner Neil Wren told how his friend, who is a keen member of Parkstone Yacht Club, had only bought the boat a month ago.

"I'm just delighted he is all right."

At 2am on Monday a Coast Guard helicopter hoisted the men from the boat and they were airlifted to Cape Cod, where they were examined and then de-briefed.