prayed for their lives during a ferocious six-hour battering from Hurricane Bonnie.

Mr. Nick Moriarty and his fiance, Miss Melanie Ryder, and two pals sat silently in pitched darkness, swamped by giant waves.

The 65-foot ketch -- stripped to her bare poles -- heaved repeatedly during the dramatic U-turn to Bermuda.

"We all thought we could be swept away,'' 25-year-old skipper Mr. Moriarty told The Royal Gazette yesterday. "We were silent as we remained tied to the deck. We were scared for our lives. The waves kept washing over us. It was absolutely terrifying.'' As the stricken yacht edged nearer the Island, the four realised they had emerged remarkably unscathed from Bonnie's clutches.

Not only were they uninjured, but their vessel, Maji Mengi , had withstood the pounding incredibly well.

Exclaimed Mr. Moriarty: "It is quite miraculous she wasn't more badly damaged. We had been very close to the eye of the storm.'' The high seas hell began two days after the four British crewmen set out from Bermuda for the Azores.

Before leaving they checked weather conditions with the United States Naval Air Station -- and were given the all-clear.

Bonnie had blown well clear of the Island, and at no time posed a land threat, or even a potential one.

But shortly into their journey there were ominous signs. As the water became increasingly choppy, the crew's unease deepened after they lost radio contact.

It was around 9 p.m. last Friday they felt the first full impact of Bonnie.

Raging 85 mph winds ripped into them, along with sheeting rain.

The onslaught forced them to make a dramatic U-turn about 350 miles away from Bermuda.

The vessel was just 30-35 miles from the eye of the hurricane on its west side.

Waves more than 25 feet were whipped by the vicious winds, crashing over the boat, breaking two mast sheets in half, and snapping life-saving equipment.

"We had completely stripped the boat down, and ran for six hours on bare poles,'' said Mr. Moriarty.

"The winds had slowly built up from 30 to 40 to 50 knots, getting worse and worse. We tied ourselves to the deck and really just prayed. It was pitch dark.

"I must admit I was scared. It was certainly one of the most frightening experiences of my life. We had had no idea what was in store for us. We had lost radio contact for two days.

"I believe it was because of atmospheric pressure. We hadn't known anything about Hurricane Bonnie. Strangely, however, we weren't cut off during the storm.'' Mr. Moriarty, who has a share in the ownership of the $400,000 ketch, said his 25-year-old fiance was violently sick during the ordeal.

But their friends, Mr. Mark Jasper, 24, and 25-year-old Mr. Ian Nicholas, bore up well.

The four sailed into Bermuda yesterday morning -- and later ruefully reflected on their experience in the comfort of the St. George's Dinghy & Sports Club.

They intend setting off again in around two weeks time -- weather permitting.

Mr. Moriarty and his fiance, who hope to marry next May, plan a career in the charter boat business in Tanzania.

Tropical Storm Danielle poses a potential threat to Bermuda, the United State's Naval Oceanography Command Facility warned last night.

Yesterday she was packing winds up to 55 knots, and was expected to come within 307 nautical miles of the Island at around 3 p.m. on Friday.

Danielle's position at 3 p.m. yesterday was 32.9 degrees north and 74.1 degrees west, or about 490 miles west of the Island.

ESCAPE FROM HELL -- Mr. Nick Moriarty and fiance Miss Melanie Ryder pictured yesterday on the $400,000 white and blue-striped Maji Mengi. Behind them are (from left) fellow crewmen Mr. Ian Nicholas and Mr. Mark Jasper.