Sturdy tub

Australia - A yacht found off the far south coast of New South Wales yesterday was abandoned in huge seas off Tasmania more than a month ago.

The sloop the Deseado was towed into Batemans Bay and investigations revealed that it had been abandoned in the southern ocean when its skipper was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter last month.

The Batemans Bay coastal patrol's commander, Robert Bowmaker, says it is remarkable that the ten metre yacht should have travelled so far with virtually no damage.

"It actually shows what a great little boat it is because it got through all those heavy seas recently and to miss container ships at night with no lights on, quite remarkable really," he said.

The yacht's owner is on his way to Batemans Bay today.