Londoner clings to raft in Med for four days after boat sinks

DETAILS emerged today of how a London sailor survived four days adrift at sea after his boat sank.

Jay Patel and his Belgian crewmate clung to an inflatable liferaft in choppy waters off the coast of Spain, surviving on emergency rations of water and biscuits.

The pair were only saved after Mr Patel's wife in London alerted the Thames Coastguard. They in turn telephoned the International Coastguard Liaison Station in Cornwall, who passed the call on to colleagues in Madrid.

A Spanish rescue boat was then launched, working in conjunction with jets from the Spanish air force, to comb a 20,000 square kilometre area of the Mediterranean. The sailors had set off from Palma, Majorca, on 12 November and were heading for Tarragona, a port on the Spanish mainland. Mr Patel's 44ft motor cruiser Umbalika had hit high seas just a few hours after leaving Palma.

It was then hit by a wave and sunk within two minutes, leaving Mr Patel and his Belgian friend, known as Phillippe, clinging to the liferaft.

Mr Patel told Spanish coastguard Jorge Garcia: "It was terrifying. We were hit by a giant wave and sank in two minutes. We didn't even have time to put in a rescue call over the radio."

He added to reporters: "We are just so grateful to the people who saved our lives and want to thank everyone involved in the search."

Miguel Chicon, who co-ordinated the rescue from Majorca, said: "It's a miracle that they have been found after all this time."