A DISABLED man was one of a number of sailors who fell victim to strong winds in the Solent yesterday. Coastguards and lifeboats were kept busy as dozens of crews experienced difficult sailing conditions in the annual Skandia Life Cowes Week regatta.

Martin Cheshire, who uses a wheelchair, was thrown into the water from a Sonar boat but managed to get back on board as the boat righted. He was uninjured.

In one rescue the coastguard helicopter was scrambled to pluck a sailor with head injuries from the deck of a yacht as winds gusted up to 31 knots.

The yachtsman, Adrian Taylor, lifted off the yacht, Acco, was flown to Southampton General Hospital where he was treated with stitches in the accident department before being discharged. A sailor on a different boat suffered a broken leg and a yachtswoman was pulled from the sea after the boat she was crewing was dismasted.