A fisherman rammed his vessel into an out of control yacht to save a stranded sailor from being killed by its propellers.

The unnamed sailor got into trouble when big breaking waves caused the yacht to roll so badly the boat's mast was touching the water.

Pete Dadds, skipper of the well known Deja Vu fishing boat, spotted the victim, who didn't have a life jacket on, desperately clinging on to a rope hanging off the back of his yacht near Christchurch harbour on Friday evening.

The stranded sailor let go of the rope so the fishing crew could pick him up - but the yacht made its way back round again and the fishing boat had to ram it to stop the sailor going under, towards the propeller.

Another second fisherma, Matthew Whyles, then jumped on to the yacht to try and control it while Mr Dadds grabbed hold of the sailor, who was struggling to stay conscious.

But the rough sea made it impossible to pull him aboard, so Mr Dadds kept him afloat for about 20 minutes, talking to him to keep him conscious, until the Mudeford lifeboat arrived to help.

Two of the lifeboat crew climbed onto the fishing vessel to help Mr Dadds pull the sailor in while the lifeboat retrieved the yacht and towed it back to the harbour.

Mr Dadds, 41, has been a fisherman for 25 years and a volunteer with Mudeford RNLI  for 23 years.

A spokesman from Mudeford RNLI said the man was taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia.

She said: "It was the first time the guy had been on a yacht on his own and the weather was nasty out there, only two fishing boats went out yesterday.

"The man was very cold and kept trying to close his eyes.

"He didn't completely lose consciousness but while Pete was holding him he was talking to him, trying to keep him awake. 

“Pete radioed the coastguard asking for urgent assistance to assist in getting the sailor aboard and the yacht back into the harbour.

“Mudeford Lifeboat was on scene within minutes and they transferred two of the volunteer crew members onto the fishing vessel to help get the sailor, who was still being held onto by Pete Dadds, on board.

“Whilst the fishing vessel headed back to Mudeford Quay and an awaiting ambulance, the lifeboat retrieved the yacht and towed it back into Christchurch harbour and put it onto moorings.”

Richard Stride, Mudeford lifeboat operations manager, said: "The sailor was exceedingly fortunate that the fishing vessel was in the vicinity and that the skipper was extremely competent and knew what to do in the seriousness of the situation.

"The chances of the sailor surviving more than a couple of minutes without intervention were very low.

"The incident illustrates how dangerous and unpredictable the sea can be and the value of having and wearing all the correct safety equipment."

In 2010 the Echo's features team went out with Pete and his crew. He talked about life at sea and exactly what makes the seas around Christchurch harbour so dangerous. You can read the piece here: