Richard Branson reunited with record-breaking superboat 27 years after it became the fastest ever vessel to cross the Atlantic Entrepreneur crossed ocean in just over three days, eight hours in 1986 Until recently the boat was virtually forgotten in a Spanish Marina Now it has been given a new lease of life by a sailing fanatic Today mogul set foot on the boat for the first time in nearly three decades Sir Richard Branson was today reunited with his record-breaking, ocean-going superboat - which broke down on a trip to a fish and chip shop. The tycoon made history in 1986 when the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II crossed the Atlantic faster than ever. The 72ft boat - then worth £1.5million - spent years languishing in a marina in Majorca until it was spotted by sailing fanatic Dan Stevens. Reunited: Sir Richard Branson with the crew of the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. Together they broke the Blue Riband record in 1986 for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic. Sir Richard (front left) sits next to the boat's new owner Dan Stevens Sir Richard Branson (red coat) waves to the crowd from the deck of the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II Dan, of Plymouth, Devon, spent around £450,000 buying and restoring the powerboat to its former glory and sailed it back to Britain. He welcomed Sir Richard, 63, and his original crew back on board yesterday for a 40-mile spin from Plymouth to Fowey in Cornwall. They were headed for a fish and chip lunch - but en route the legendary powerboat immediately ran into trouble and conked out. Sir Richard said: 'Some debris got stuck in the engine which delayed us for 20 minutes or so. Dan went slightly white, but it was all sorted very quickly. It seems drama seems to follow this boat. Sir Richard was joined by his navigator Dag Pike and original crew members Steve Ridgway, Eckie Rastig, Peter McCann and Chris Witty. The boat broke down on the way to a fish and chip shop, but the fault was quickly fixed - much to the new owner's relief Seafarers: Archive photo of Richard Branson and the original crew in 1986 They crossed the Atlantic in three days, eight hours and 31 minutes - two hours faster than the previous record. Sir Richard said yesterday: 'It's magnificent. I've got enormous respect for the team that secured it and put it back together. She rides beautifully, we nearly got her up to full speed, 50 knots. It was just lovely to see it back again. I never thought we'd see it in the water again. 'It's very strange meeting people that you haven't seen for 30 years but it was a delight. We had two great adventures together and when you're in a boat that's sinking very quickly, when you go through experiences like that together it's great to get back together. Everybody is extremely well, but quite a bit older. The boat, which has a top speed of 52 knots, has only chalked up little more than 810 hours of seafaring despite its fame Was the adventure-loving entrepreneur tempted to buy Virgin Atlantic Challenger II back? I talked to Dan and he wants to save it for the UK. He's talking to one or two museums on the coast that specialise in ships and we'd love to help him keep it in the UK. Over 1,000 people turned up today, there is enormous interest in it. Merchant navy officer Dan, 39, was looking round a boatyard last year when he recognised the fading red paintwork and Virgin logos and decided to take a closer look. Sir Richard's first attempt to break the TransAtlantic record was in the Challenger I, which capsized, receiving widespread media coverage, in 1985 Heartbreakingly, the 32-ton vessel overturned just 140 miles short of its target, the Isles of Scilly off Cornwall, and was on-track to break the record. It took just six minutes to sink, and the crew was forced to scramble to safety. As he was rescued he saw a copy of the Daily Mail, which featured a copy of his baby son Sam, now 27: 'As I got on (the rescue boat) I saw a copy of the Daily Mail and it had a picture my newly-born son, who I hadn't actually seen.' The crew were spotted floating in life boats by helicopters from the Royal Navy air station at Culdrose, Cornwall. They were picked up by a passing ship and airlifted to hospital. Incredibly he found the interior piled high with charts and maps - almost exactly as Branson left it after smashing the world record. The Challenger II was commissioned by Sir Richard for the historic Blue Riband Transatlantic Challenge. His first attempt a year earlier in 1985 had ended in disaster - with the Challenger I sinking off the coast of Cornwall. But in 1986 in his Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, with sailing expert Daniel McCarthy, he beat the record by two hours. Despite the crossing he was denied the official 'Blue Riband' trophy by the trustees of the award because they said he made the trip in a 'toy boat' rather than an ocean liner. It is believed the 98 kph craft was sold by Virgin Media in the late 1980s to a sultan who barely used it. It then spent about years moored in the Spanish port accumulating storage fees until Mr Stevens repaired the two 2,000HP engines so it could sail back to the UK. Dan, a ferry company boss from Plymouth, has refused to reveal how much he paid for Challenger II but its value was listed on various boating websites as £250,000. The boat, which has a top speed of 52 knots, has only chalked up little more than 810 hours of seafaring despite its fame. Champagne reception: Sir Richard was delighted to meet his former comrades of the sea He said: 'She has a nice feeling about her and she's more than capable of 45 knots. 'Everyone thought I was daft when I bought it, but I'm crazy about boats. I just did not want it to go to scrap. 'It's been an amazing and memorable day. It was great to have Richard on board and have a chat with him. 'I'm not sure what my plans are for the boat. I can't afford to keep it myself so I may sell it on. It's part of British maritime history so it needs to be preserved.' Mike Sutherland, who was harbourmaster at Fowey in 1982 when the Challenger II last came into the harbour, said: 'It was great to be here to see it come in. I remember it very well. There were hundreds of people gathered at the harbour when the crew came in. It's fantastic to see similar scenes here now.'