A boat owner narrowly escaped death when flames engulfed his £50,000 cruiser.

A "distraught" David Moore, 55, of Chislehurst, leapt to a passing boat when fire consumed his pride and joy of 20 years, the 32ft Sirron.

All he has left of his vessel are its registration documents.

The father-of-two was sailing from Brighton Marina to London with business partner, Keith Cox, when the fire started in the engine room.

Black, acrid smoke poured from the starboard engine and within seconds the Sirron was on fire. Minutes later, flames leapt 20ft into the air as diesel ignited.

Black smoke could be seen for miles and scores of onlookers gathered on the shore to watch the drama unfold.

Mr Moore, of Elmstead Avenue, said: "The first thing to go was the dinghy, so we couldn't use it to escape. We were just about to jump overboard when another boat pulled up.

"We retreated to a safe distance and all we could do was watch her burn out. It was devastating."

RNLI crews arrived within minutes and used water jets to douse the flames. A half-mile exclusion zone was set up because Sirron had two gas canisters which later exploded.

The fire started shortly after 1pm on August 23, four miles west of Brighton and a mile from shore. After four-and-a-half hours, the Sirron sank.

Expensive global positioning equipment, a radar system, diving gear and a television were all destroyed in the blaze.

The Sirron had been Mr Moore's home for more than 20 years when in Brighton on business.

The pair, who run Moore's Marine Maintenance, were heading for Eastbourne and then St Katherine's Dock, London, where they are relocating their business.