Wave 'struck like missile'

The British rowers whose boat was split in two by a 50ft rogue wave today described their struggle for survival in mountainous seas.

The four oarsmen, who arrived on dry land this morning, clung to a liferaft for nearly six hours after their 30ft boat was broken. They were saved by a Danish cargo ship in heavy seas, 370 miles off the Scilly Isles.

Their craft, the Pink Lady, was close to the end of its 2,100-mile journey from Canada to Falmouth, Cornwall. It had been on course to break the 108-year-old west-east Atlantic crossing record of 55 days.

Skipper Mark Stubbs, John Wills, Pete Bray and Jonathan Gornall looked tired but elated when they arrived at Foynes on Ireland's west coast.

Speaking minutes later, Mr Gornall, a 48-year-old journalist from London, said: "We had a lot of bad weather. We were confident the boat could tackle anything. We were battened down for a storm, were riding it, but then we were unlucky when this rogue wave hit us.

"It hit the ship like a missile. There was an explosion, crushing, and we were falling and swimming for our lives."

The crew managed to salvage the liferaft, and awaited rescue. "The highlight was the sight of an RAF Nimrod flying low across the water. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life," said Mr Gornall.

Mr Stubbs, 40, a firefighter from Dorset, added: "There was a huge crash. The boat was turned violently. We tried to self-right, but it didn't happen.

"The cabin started filling with water because we had a vent open. We had to get out of the cabin quickly - that was the most frightening bit - we had to go out into violent seas."

Another of the four told how winds went from 6-7 knots to 10-11 knots. He said of the crew's escape: "It was an incredible team effort. The reason we are safe is due to communication, understanding and precautions." Also rescued were digital mapping specialist Mr Wills, 33, of Surrey, and former SAS diver Mr Bray, 48, of South Wales.

Sponsored by Pink Lady apples, the crew were hoping to raise £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation.