A SOLO sailor has lost everything after being caught in a mid-Atlantic storm and forced to abandon his yacht.

Billy Brannan was sailing home from the Caribbean when disaster struck.

He had set out on his dream adventure last June and crossed the Atlantic destined for the Caribbean earlier this year.

When he arrived, he found the islands in lockdown due to Covoid-19 and after a short break had to make plans to get back to Essex before the start of the hurricane season.

Billy was sailing from Marigot Bay in St Martin to the UK when he was caught in a storm.

A huge wave rolled the 34ft yacht – called Helena – and wrenched off its mast.

Billy said: “I was running downwind averaging seven knots, with winds around 46 to 54 knots for over 30 hours with no problems.

“Then at around 11pm on May 20 the yacht capsized and rolled."

His boat was damaged and started letting in water.

Billy, who was uninjured in the incident, waited until first light to clear the wreckage and then got underway using the engine and autopilot.

When he was just over 500 miles south west of Lizard Point in Cornwall, he issued an alert which the coastguard picked up on May 22.

When a French maritime patrol aircraft crew rendezvoused with him, he asked for fuel to continue to the UK.

Twenty-four hours later the 229-metre oil tanker, Seaways Reymar, arrived.

The fuel was successfully transferred to Helena but then the yacht’s propeller became jammed.

Billy had no option but to abandon ship and was transferred onto the Seaways Reymar.

Coastguard controller Matthew West said: “The yachtsman was rescued by tremendous seamanship demonstrated by the crew of the Seaways Reymar who diverted their course and remained on scene for eight hours to ensure the safe recovery of the sailor.”

Billy s currently still on board the tanker which is due to arrive in Philadelphia this week.

Billy, who is an experienced sailor from Tollesbury, had been unable to get insurance for the voyage and friends have now set up a fundraising page to raise £30,000 to help him recover from the ordeal and get back to the UK.

To donate go to gofundme.com/f/sailor-loses-everything.