SatPhone Saves Typhoon Victim

A solo rower saved from the Pacific Ocean by Inmarsat's satellite phone, IsatPhone Pro, after his boat was severely damaged during a tropical typhoon

Charlie Martell used the phone to contact Falmouth Coastguard in the UK to summon help after his boat capsized several times when it was hit by winds of up to 50 knots and waves of more than 50ft (15.25m).

The double Guinness World Record holder was attempting to set three new world records and raise money for charity in a 4,500 mile (7,242 km) solo crossing of the North Pacific Ocean.

Falmouth Coastguard passed on details of his boat Blossom, which was damaged during tropical storm Mawar, to the Japanese Coastguard which then co-ordinated the rescue.

Charlie, a Territorial Army Lieutenant and former Royal Engineer, had been at sea for 36 days when the storm damaged one of his boat's main bulkheads.

He was rescued 700 miles (1,126 km) off the coast of Japan by the Russian crew of Last Tycoon, a merchant vessel on its way to Canada.

In the latest challenge, Martell hoped to set records for the fastest crossing of the North Pacific, the first unsupported row across the Pacific and the first solo Briton to make the crossing.

In a statement issued on his website Pacific 2012, his supporters said: "We want to thank the Japanese Coastguard for its effective and professional response in co-ordinating Charlie's rescue, and to Falmouth Coastguard in the UK for its rapid response."