A CREW member with a broken leg was due to be airlifted off Pete Goss's vessel, Spirit of Mystery, yesterday.

The replica boat, which is retracing the route to Australia taken by a Cornish lugger in Victorian times, was hit by a huge wave.

Mark Maidment, Pete's brother-in-law, suffered a broken leg in the incident off the coast of Adelaide, South Australia.

The wave hit the Millbrook-built vessel at 11.30pm on Tuesday during what is the final week of Pete's latest sailing adventure.

Mark was treated by other crew members who administered morphine and applied a splint before he was assessed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) which flew out overhead.

Mark was due to be taken off by helicopter yesterday, 120 nautical miles from Portland, South Australia.

Pete, from St John, near Torpoint, said: 'We had just come out of a storm that had lasted for two-and-half days and given us a right old pasting when we were hit by a freak wave.

'There was no warning, just a huge wall of water that smashed into the boat rolling her more than 90 degrees onto her side.

'There was carnage below with water everywhere, which got into the communications systems.

'The boat was fantastic though and I wouldn't have wanted to be in any other.

'She just shook herself off and came upright. But when she did, Mark's leg was broken.'

The wave dashed away the liferaft and dinghy, causing damage on deck and leaving the crew exhausted.

Pete added: 'It's a great shame for Mark, especially so close to the end, but he is keen not to draw attention away from the project, which is about shining a light on the bravery of those seven Cornishmen who made the perilous journey 154 years ago to seek a new life in the Victorian gold fields of Australia.'

Pete, and his crew, including his younger brother Andy and son Eliot, left from Newlyn in West Cornwall in October. The idea was to sail the 37ft replica of the original Mount's Bay fishing boat, Mystery, more than 11,500 miles to Australia.

Once Mark has been taken off the yacht, it is the crew's intention to continue as planned to Melbourne, where they are due to arrive sometime on Monday or Tuesday.

Spirit of Mystery was built at Insworke, Millbrook, by Chris Rees, John Albrecht and Andy Grieve, using ekki hardwood, larch, ash and fallen Cornish oak, and Pete planned the adventure to raise awareness and funds for the charity, Playing for Success, of which he is a founder member and trustee, and which provides out-of-hours activities for schoolchildren.