Pete Goss and his crew on Spirit of Mystery are nearing the end of their eventful voyage. They have released this video of the beginning of the storm that culminated in the boat being knocked down and Mark Maidment breaking his leg.

Mark was taken off the boat at Portland yesterday and airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where he underwent an operation to his broken right leg. He is now resting comfortably in hospital after a rod and pins were attached to his tibia. Mark hopes to be released tomorrow in time to meet his colleagues who are due to arrive in Williamstown between 1.30 and 3.30 pm.

The winds have been much kinder to Spirit of Mystery since the knock-down, which is expected at Port Phillip Heads between 5.00 and 6.00 am today.

Of the knockdown, Pete writes: ‘A huge wall of water that towers over the boat and there is nothing breaking about it. Its solid, dark green, dangerous and a freak; ‘HOLD ON’ I am aware of Mark bracing himself as I duck my head and tense. The noise is as shocking as the blow, I am aware of it going very dark and I am disorientated. I am under water and can’t breathe, there is a huge weight pushing me down and the rush of solid water through the hatch has my legs straining in resistance. It feels like I am trying to push the wrong way up a storm drain in full flood and that is what I am trying to do for I know that this is going to leave us badly damaged and I am fighting to get to Mark who is my first concern…. Read On

Find out more, and read Pete’s nailbiting account of the knockdown at Pete Goss.com