Falmouth solo round-the-world sailor Susie Goodall has been rescued from a remote spot in the Pacific Ocean.

Susie Goodall's 35 foot yacht the DHL Starlight was dismasted on Wednesday (December 5) morning UK time 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn in 60 knot winds.

She was briefly knocked unconscious when the boat rolled over when she was in the cabin, and she spent two days waiting to be rescued. 

Susie, who was based in Falmouth prior to the race, managed to start the engine on the vessel around 18 hours ago.

Barry Pickthall, the Golden Globe Race's media co-ordinator, said that she was "safe and secure" whilst waiting for rescue and able to sleep in her bunk. He added: "Everyone's heart goes out to her."

Chilean authorities requested assistance from a cargo ship 480 miles South West of Susie's position after her boat was damaged.

Initially the ship was meant to arrive at her position at 5am today UK time, when it was still nighttime in the pacific, waiting until morning light before carrying out the rescue.

Due to the heavy seas however, the 38,000 tonne MV Tian Fu had to wait until morning to approach her.

The rescue was far from straighforward as both her boat and the cargo ship were swaying in heavy seas.

Rescuers operating a crane to lift Susie into the ship had to time it perfectly before hauling her on board.

Susie was in the cabin of her boat in 60 knot winds on Wednesday when it rolled and she was thrown forwards, sustaining a minor head injury and being knocked unconscious for a short time.

She spent the following hours removing the rigging debris to prevent further damage and has had to pump out water that has been making its way onto the deck.

Susie's family posted on Facebook thanking people for their messages of support, saying: "The support for Susie has been overwhelming, and we want to say thank you to everyone! All of your kind messages will keep her busy when she gets back online. It’s been 158 days since she used a phone, let’s hope she remembers how they work…"

Participants in the Golden Globe Race are aiming to recreate the historic voyage completed by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who set off from Falmouth in 1968.

They do not have access to mobile phones or modern communication systems, but Susie has been sending messages from a satellite pager which have been posted to Twitter.

Some of Susie's tweets since her boat was dismasted give an insight into how she is handling the ordeal.

At one point she wrote: "This motion is just horrible! Clinging on in my bunk."

Another message reads: "That was a looong night."

At around 9.30am GMT, Susie reported that conditions were calming as she awaited rescue. She wrote: "The sea is dropping, less than 5m :)".

Susie was the third Golden Globe Race participant to be rescued due to injury or damage to the boat.

Indian skipper Abilash Tomy was rescued from the Indian Ocean nearly 2,000 miles off the Australian coast in September after suffering a serious back injury that he later underwent surgery for.

The Frenchman Loïc Lepage also had to be rescued 670 miles from Australia in October when his yacht Laaland was dismasted.

Out of the 18 racers who set off from Les Sables d’Olonne in July, only eight remain in the race.

French skipper Jean-Luc van den Heede is currently in the lead despite being the oldest competitor at the age of 73.