British yacht aground, Australia navy to the rescue

CANBERRA, Aug 2 (Reuters) An Australian warship is sailing to rescue a lone British yachtsman whose vessel ran aground on a reef east of the Australian mainland, rescue officials said.

The sailor's yacht sent a distress signal at 5 pm (1330 IST) yesterday and a navy frigate sailed this morning from south of Sydney.

The yacht ran aground on Elizabeth Reef, 185 km north of Lord Howe Island, a spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority told Reuters.

''There is one British man about the yacht, named the ''Lamachan'','' she told Reuters.

Lord Howe Island is 600 km off the mainland's east coast.

A catamaran remained near the yacht, while two search-and-rescue aircraft were circling, the spokeswoman said. A merchant vessel had also been diverted.

The frigate HMAS Ballarat was expected be close enough to the yacht to send a helicopter by around 4 pm (1130 IST) and winch the man aboard.

''The yacht is taking on water and is in danger of breaking up in heavy seas and strong winds,'' Defence spokesman Brigadier Andrew Nikolic told journalists in Canberra.

Elizabeth Reef is at latitude 29o56'S and longitude 159o05'E, and is regarded as one of the southernmost coral reefs in the world.

Reuters CS GC1037