The crew of the £4 million Musto-sponsored superyacht Team Philips have spoken of their terror as their crippled catamaran was battered by huge waves in the North Atlantic.

Speaking in Canada after abandoning the yacht to be rescued by a German container ship, the seven-man crew described how they tried for eight hours to escape hurricane force winds 750 miles off Ireland.

Now Westcliff's hero sailor Tony Bullimore is the only British entrant in the 27,000-mile round-the-world challenge The Race which starts in Barcelona on December 31.

Team Philips had been built specifically to take part in the race but until it can be salvaged from where it is now drifting in the Atlantic, team boss Pete Goss has had to abandon all his plans.

A spokeswoman for Musto, based in Linden Road, Benfleet, the official clothing supplier to the team, said: "We are disappointed on behalf of the entire team who have worked so hard to make the project a success.

"This was a cutting edge project and it is so sad that their brave challenge seems to have ended like this.

"We can't comment on whether the yacht will be lost or not because at this stage we don't know. We will simply have to wait and see."

The crew now have a race against time to reach the abandoned catamaran as fears grow that the hi-tech yacht could be rightfully claimed by salvage "pirates".

Mr Bullimore's 102ft catamaran, Team Legato, made a dramatic exit from Bristol Docks this morning, passing under the Clifton Suspension Bridge on its way to a mooring at the mouth of the River Avon.

Mr Bullimore, 61, - a former Westcliff schoolboy - and his crew are waiting for weather conditions to improve before venturing out for trials in the Bristol Channel.

An experienced competition sailor, he has won 150 trophies in the last 25 years and has also won the title Yachtsman of the Year for his many achievements.

However, three years ago Mr Bullimore was rescued after spending four days under his capsized boat in the southern Pacific off Australia.

Earlier this year he paired up with comedian Lenny Henry in an attempt to cross the Atlantic in three weeks.

Their epic adventure was televised and the country watched them just miss their tight deadline.

(Right and left) Experienced sailor - Tony Bullimore, pictured earlier this year with comedian Lenny Henry on board the 102ft catamaran Team Legato

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