Sailor found after drifting for two months

A Florida yachtsman, who was lost at sea with a broken mast for more than two months, was rescued last night 40 miles off the US coast.

Terry Watson, 43, was emaciated, weak and suffering from dehydration, delusion and shock, said coastguards

“I died a month ago,” he said after he was assisted off a rescue boat.

Watson and his 23 foot yacht Psedorca were found in the Atlantic off the North-South Carolina border.

Officials say he was last spotted in Miami on July 19 and a search of more than 8,000 square miles of ocean failed to spot him.

Officials are not sure how Watson survived. He apparently used his broken mast to rig a shelter, but coastguards said they had not been able to talk to him long enough to determine how long he has been without food and water.

A charter fishing boat skipper found Watson and his yacht and radioed the Coast Guard for help.

A helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer near the boat, but Watson refused to leave his vessel.

“The helicopter apparently scared him, and he was not in good physical condition. He could barely move,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Carr.

The Coast Guard then sent a rescue boat. When it arrived, Watson again refused to leave his boat, Carr said.

Though the crew was prepared to use force to remove him to safety, they eventually persuaded Watson to come aboard, Carr said.