A rescue mission was launched Friday in the mid-Atlantic after vessels involved in a sailing race ran into trouble amid high seas and hurricane-force winds.
Joint Task Force Atlantic in Halifax said it was responding to distress calls from three vessels involved in the transatlantic race between the U.K. and Rhode Island.
Lt. Len Hickey of the Royal Canadian Navy said emergency beacons from the boats went off shortly after midnight. One of the sailboats lost its mast and the other two suffered damage to their hulls and rigging.
One of the boats had two sailors on board, while the other two each had one sailor.