TWO fishermen were left clinging to a life raft when their trawler sank in a freak accident after its nets fouled a wreck.

Skipper David Wilson, 32, and crewman Alex Conley, 28, feared they were going to drown when the £150,000 Bounty went down in just two-and-a-half minutes 42 miles south west of Portland Bill.

But they were saved by a huge slice of luck and the skills of the crew of the Portland-based RFA Black Rover who rescued them yesterday.

Mr Wilson said: "We had been fishing for lemon sole when our nets fouled some object on the seabed.

"We tried to get the nets up, but there was quite a swell and the boat suddenly dived hard to port, waves came in over the stern and we sank. I had only bought Bounty two months ago.

"Luckily just last week we had the Maritime Coastguard Agency down to check the boat and they told me to release the life raft which was tied down so that it could float free if we ever sank. When the boat went down there was no time to turn round or think. We just had to get off and it was a really nice sight to see the lifebelts and liferaft float up."

The two men grabbed lifebelts, tied themselves together and paddled across to the life raft in a strong tide with winds gusting to more than 30mph.

They got into the life raft and fired their first flare after 15 minutes, but an hour later their second flare failed to go off when they tried to fire it after seeing a plane. Mr Wilson said: "Then we saw Black Rover coming and we were so glad to see her. The crew were wonderful. You couldn't ask for more."

Mr Conley said: "If night had come that would have been the end of us. We were just getting colder and colder and it was such a relief to get rescued when we did."

Black Rover skipper Kevin Rimell revealed how lucky both men were when he explained that not only was his ship only in the area on exercise but the crew had actually practised retrieving an object from the sea just that morning.

He said they were in the middle of a fire exercise when bridge lookout George McDonald glimpsed the men's orange liferaft three miles away.

He added: "As we closed they fired a red flare and we recovered them with a small boat. I think they were exceedingly lucky. They would not have survived long without the liferaft."

Second Officer Richard McGinily said: "They were wet and cold and they seemed quite happy to see us."

Portland Coastguard watch manager Andy Jenkins said the incident, co-ordinated by colleagues from Brixham, involved the Teignmouth-registered stern trawler Bounty which had sailed from Brixham.

He added that the trawler's nets could have caught on a wreck and he said: "These two men owe their lives to the Black Rover.

"They were very lucky to be rescued because they were a fair way out, anything up to 12 miles off shore when they were found."

Black Rover docked last night at Portland Port and was met by Portland Bill coastguards including Station Officer Nigel McColm who said: "It was lucky these two men did what the MCA said and unlashed the liferaft."

Both men, who come from Teignmouth in Devon, gave a big vote of thanks to Black Rover's crew, sentiments repeated by Mr Wilson's father and mother, Barry and Jo, who drove up from Teignmouth to collect him.

Mr Wilson said: "We would certainly like to thank the crew of the Black Rover.

"Fortunately David and Alex got into the liferaft. That was the main thing. Boats under ten metres don't have to carry one but they did."