A sailor and his crew have set out on their epic voyage to Australia, but have been forced to order an emergency air drop after they realised they had forgotten their pants!
Pete Goss, 46, is attempting to sail 12,000 miles in 120 days on a hand-built wooden boat with several members of his own family.
But despite months of planning Pete and his entire crew realised three days after setting off that they had forgotten to pack underwear.
A special rescue mission was ordered and pilot Stuart Elford loaded several packets of pants in a waterproof bag onto his plane.
He then planned to locate the 37ft wooden boat, Spirit of Mystery, using sat nav and drop the package into the sea from his light aircraft.
But he was forced to abort in bad weather and the boat is now too far away for a drop – meaning the crew will undertake the whole journey in the same pants.
Stuart, of Plymouth, said: 'All we had to do was buy several packs of underwear, pack them in a floating waterproof bag and fly to their latest position. We could get there in less than two hours, make a drop beside the boat and return. But we were scuppered by the weather.
'But I'm sure a lack of underwear will not be a major challenge compared to what else the team will face.'
Pete, of Torpoint, left Newlyn harbour at midnight on Monday with his brother Andy, his son Eliot, 14, and his brother-in-law Mark.
They are recreating a trip made by seven sailors in 1854 who sailed from Newlyn to Melbourne for the gold rush in Australia.
Stuart added: 'The crew of the original Mystery would not have had this sort of support, so perhaps it is fitting that we didn't make the air-drop.'