RESCUERS have confirmed they have saved a woman from Bromsgrove who was stranded thousands of miles from land during a round-the-world boat race.

Susie Goodall was taking part in the Golden Globe Race - a solo, 30,000 mile non-stop race - before her yacht capsized in a storm in the South Pacific, losing its mast. 

Her vessel was destroyed 2,000 miles from the west of the southern tip of South America two days ago.

The rescue mission wasn't without its troubles after the rescuers originally attempted to start the engine on her yacht, the DHL Starlight, and for Susie to tug along the side of the ship and attach herself to a swinging hook.

However, after 20 minutes the yachts engine stopped, which meant she had to drift at about 1 and the captain of the cargo ship, the Tian Fu, needed to maneuver the 40,000 Tonne ship to meet Susie.

The 119-metre cargo ship had to use its crane to lift Goodall onboard.

An update on her Twitter account said: "ON THE SHIP!!!" 

Previously, Ms Goodall, 29, had tweeted she had banged her head but was otherwise uninjured.

A distress signal from her DHL Starlight boat was first picked up by coastguards in her home town of Falmouth and a rescue operation has been coordinated by Chilean authorities.

Throughout her trip, she had been keeping everyone up to date on her progress on Twitter.

On December 3, she tweeted 'hoping one of these grey gloomy clouds brings rain' before a series of tweets on December 5 described the disaster.

In one tweet on the 5, Susie said she wonders what on earth she is doing out there before three hours later declaring a dismasted hull, a wrecked interior and the waves were making her have to cling onto her bunk to stop from falling.

Her position is so remote that the nearest vessel, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship, is not expected to arrive at her location until today (Friday).

Speaking to race HQ, she said: "I have been dismasted. Thought I had holed the hull because the boat filled with water, but the hull is NOT holed. The hull is ok. The boat is destroyed. I can't make up a jury rig.

"The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact. We were pitchpoled and I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while."

In a statement, Susie Goodall Racing said: "We are extremely saddened by the incident which took place on December 5th on board Susie Goodall’s boat DHL Starlight.

"The safety of Susie is of utmost importance. From the information we have available at this time we know that Susie was sailing in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn in 60 knot winds when her wind vane broke.

"The exact height of the waves is unknown, but massive seas reported. She deployed her drogue to steady the boat, but that failed. She was in the cabin when the boat pitchpoled, sending her and the boat’s contents flying forward and knocking her unconscious for a period of time.

"She sustained a minor head injury and spent the following hours removing the rigging debris to prevent further boat damage. The hull of the boat is unbreached, and Susie is safe.

"The Chilean authorities are coordinating a rescue effort, and have requested assistance from a ship 480 miles South West of Susie’s position. Her captain expects to take 2 days to reach the area.

"Up until today, Susie was attempting to sail around the world solo as part of the Golden Globe Race.

"Susie Goodall Racing would like to thank the race support team for their help during this time. The family are in regular contact with the Golden Globe Race team and have spoken to Susie since the incident."