USA: Yachtsman and CAT make dramatic leap onto ship amid high seas

A French yachtsman leapt from his sailboat onto a waiting rescue ship with a cat tucked inside his coat amid a ferocious storm in waters south of Alaska, Tuesday. Footage shot from a US Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane shows the Frenchman leap for safety onto the railing of the Tor Viking, a support ship sent by the nearby Polar Pioneer oil drilling vessel. The unnamed yachtsman had activated a location beacon amid 46-mph (74 kph) winds and 20-foot (six metre) seas which had battered his sailboat. The vessel lost its rudder and rigging leaving its captain with little means of control. The Coast Guard sent the Hercules airplane which made radio contact with the stranded sailor and the nearby Polar Pioneer, whose crew sent the Tor Viking vessel to rescue the Frenchman and his cat. The rescued mariner is seen walking towards the Tor Viking's crew after leaping head-first over the railings, although his current condition - and that of his cat - are unknown. Footage courtesy of US Coast Guard