A NORTH Yorkshire sailor is one of five men being held in Iran after their yacht strayed into the country's waters.

Sam Usher, 26, is the owner of Wykeham Watersports, near Scarborough, and was on the 60ft yacht The Kingdom of Bahrain.

The vessel was due to join in the 360 nautical mile Dubai to Muscat race, but it was stopped by the Iranian Navy last Wednesday.

Mr Usher, 26, Oliver Smith, Oliver Young, Luke Porter and Bahrain-based David Bloomer were aboard the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The yacht belongs to Scarborough-based Pindar, under its Sail Bahrian title.

The Foreign Office has been in talks with Iranian officials and the sailors families, but could not confirm the men were on the Island of Sirri.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in touch with the families and we have had a little contact with the sailors.

"We want to this resolved as quickly as possible and we are in regular contact with the Iranian authorities."

Dubai-Muscat Offshore Race organisers said The Kingdom of Bahrain had suffered propeller problems.

Pindar first became involved in yacht racing in 1980 when it sponsored the North Sea Race and is now well established in the sport.

Andrew Pindar, chairman of Sail Bahrain and owner of the boat, said he hoped the crew would be reunited with their families soon.

Speaking in Scarborough, where his printing business is based, Mr Pindar told reporters: "As the Foreign Office continues to liaise with the Iranian authorities, our thoughts are very much focused on the safe return of the crew and in supporting the families who await their return.

"The Team Pindar crew members on board are a close-knit group who are all qualified sailors and have extensive experience on board racing yachts.

"Olly Smith, who was skippering the crew during the delivery, has been involved with the team for many years and has over 100,000 sailing miles under his belt."

Mr Pindar added: "Through the limited contact we have had with the crew, we are pleased to confirm that they appear to be in good spirits and have confirmed that they are being well looked after."

Mr Pindar said he would remain in the UK and intended to be in close contact with the Foreign Office to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

He added: "On behalf of the team I would like to extend our thanks and appreciation for the support we have received from wellwishers throughout the sailing fraternity the world over."

Wykeham Watersports, of the Dawnay Estate, and Nicola Drayton, Mr Usher's fiancee, declined to comment yesterday on the situation.