A 60-year-old French skipper was rescued on Friday off the Seychelles' main island of Mahe after his yacht, Cote Rotie, sank, the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) have said in a press statement.

According to the SDF, the Seychelles Coast Guard Maritime Operations Centre was alerted that there was a vessel in distress by the Centre Régional Opérationnel de Surveillance et de Sauvetage (CROSS) in Reunion .

"Through coordinated efforts, a military plane from the French Air Force on the way to Seychelles was diverted to locate the life raft until Seychelles Air Force (SAF) aircraft could reach him. The French plane remained on station until SAF Dornier arrived and took over the operation," said the SDF.

"Further coordination was done with IDC (Islands Development Company) sand Blue Safari to deploy a boat to recover the man. SAF aircraft successfully guided the boat to the life raft, and the man was rescued and brought ashore on Desrosches late last night," added the SDF.

The Seychelles Defence Forces said the French national was examined by the medical staff on Desroches Island and kept under observation until he was taken to Mahe Island on board a Seychelles Air Force aircraft.  

Desroches is the largest in the Amirante Group. It is located 230 kilometres from Mahe, the main island of Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean.