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

Billy Brannan, from Tollesbury, 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 Covid-19 and after a short break had to immediately 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 under staysail, averaging 7-7.5 knots, with winds around 46-54 knots for over 30 hours with no problems.

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

"I have no idea what caused the roll. Helena had been tracking nice and straight. Maybe just a big wave got me. I was happy until then with no worries."

His boat was badly 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 to continue his voyage.

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 propellor became jammed.

Billy had no option but to abandon ship and was transferred onto the Seaways Reymar in what the Coastguard described as "challenging conditions" of 3-4 metre swells.

Coastguard controller Matthew West said: "The yachtsman was rescued by tremendous seamanship demonstrated by the master and 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 is an experienced sailor with considerable solo sailing experience, but had been unable to get insurance for the voyage.

He is currently still aboard the tanker which is due to arrive in Philadelphia, in the US, this week.

Billy says he has no idea how he will get back to the UK.

He is devastated after losing almost all his possessions.

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.