SANTIAGO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chilean navy Thursday rescued two French sailors whose ships were stranded in the water off Cape Horn during an international race "Vendee Globe."

    The seafarers were rescued from the yacht, the PRB, manned by Vicent Riou, winner of the last race in 2004. The mast of his yacht snapped and fell into waters off Cape Horn late Wednesday.

    The boat had been drifting some 139 km southeast of Williams Port, the southernmost town in Chile and across the Beagle Channel from Antarctica, as its engine also failed.

    Another seafarer, Jean Le Cam, whose boat overturned some 320 km west of Cape Horn, was picked up by Riou less than a day before the damage to his own yacht.

    The navy patrol ship Alacalufe reached the PRB early Thursday morning and both men were in good health, the Chilean navy said in a statement.

    The "Vendee Globe" is an extreme competition in which the competitors are required to finish a tour around the world by themselves, without any assistance or meteorological and medical services.