A yachtsman has spoken of how he was rescued by a Chinese fisherman after he and a pal were forced to abandon their boat ten miles off the coast of Malaysia.

Southampton sailor Thomas Jordan, 28, was sailing north on his 38ft long yacht 'Blue' from Lumut to Lankawi with David Roche, 32, when his vessel struck an unknown object early in the morning.

The yacht began filling with water with the pair unable to find the source of the leak forcing them to jump into a life raft.

Putting his sea survival skills to the test, Thomas used his Iridium phone to contact a Falmouth coastguard who then notified the Malaysian authorities of their position.

They were found two hours later by a Chinese fisherman who took them to a Malaysia coastguard vessel before they finally arrived back on shore more than nine hours after making their first distress call.

Mr Jordan, pictured left, of Gloucester Square, who arrived back in the city early yesterday morning, said he "never felt scared" during his and David's tense wait for help.

He was more upset about watching the boat he loved "sinking before my eyes".

He said: "It was like watching your home being ruined and there was nothing you can do about it. I spend around six months a year in Malaysia sailing and so many precious items like pictures are now lost.

"The Falmouth Coastguard guys were tremendous and if anything positive is going to come out of this it should be that other yachtsmen will be better equipped to deal with a similar situation."

The incident happened on Monday, November 25, at about 5.30am.