LOW on food and with his rotting bamboo raft rapidly falling apart, British explorer Tim Severin and his four crew have been forced to abandon their Pacific crossing just 1,000 miles off California.
The dejected crew were last night battening down sails and huddling to what remains of their 18-metre raft Hsu Fu to await rescue by a Japanese ship. There is no immediate risk to life as the raft is still afloat.
The ship, California Galaxy, alerted by the US Coastguard, will continue on to Japan - exactly where Mr Severin, 53, and his crew left 105 days ago.
They set out from Hong Kong six months ago to prove ancient Chinese mariners could have reached America 3,000 years ago.
''We survived a recent storm with the loss of a half dozen bamboos, and there are winter gales to consider,'' Mr Severin reported last night in a final fax dispatch.
''The risk is not justified . . . to go onwards with the raft in its present condition would be irresponsible.'' The vessel has performed so remarkably well. Hsu Fu has sailed the equivalent of across the Atlantic and back again, and that makes the China Voyage easily the longest raft voyage of modern times.'' With just an estimated 20 days to San Francisco, it appeared time and head-winds were against him.