The solo sailor, who was rescued from his flooded boat on Friday, says the damage caused to his yacht means he will never sail again.

Derek Johnson, 53, was trapped in his cabin, as heavy winds pinned his 22ft yacht against Whitehaven pier, holing it at the bow.

At one point Mr Johnson said that he was ‘up to my neck’ in water.

He was rescued by lifeboat crews early in the morning and treated at hospital for hypothermia and two dislocated fingers.

He said: ‘I think I was very unlucky. I’ve lost a 50-year-old dream.

‘When I was four-years-old it was my dream to buy a yacht. It’s taken me 50 years to buy one and now it’s wrecked.

‘It’s just another adventure. It was nothing really; your survival instincts just kick in.’

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