AFTER three days adrift on a life raft in the remote Southern Ocean, round-the-world yachtsman Alain Delord has been rescued by a cruise ship returning from Antarctica, reports The Australian.
The Orion rescued the stranded Frenchman about 500 nautical miles southwest of Hobart on Sunday night.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed the 63-year-old was picked up by the ship, which was diverted about 1800km to perform the rescue, in an alert issued just after 9.30pm (AEDT).
"I'm very pleased to confirm the solo sailor, who had been in a life raft in the Southern Ocean for the past three days, has been recovered by the cruise ship Orion, and AMSA believes he is being taken to Hobart," she said.
There were "scant" early details of the rescue but AMSA said Delord had been recovered "safely and without injury".
"He is currently receiving medical attention and early indications are that he is healthy," the spokeswoman said.
Read more of this report from The Australian.