Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's stolen compass handed in to museum

The compass was left at the museum by a woman who claimed her late husband had stolen it 53 years ago

A compass from Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's round-the-world yacht stolen over 50 years ago has been handed in to a museum.

Sir Robin, from Portsmouth, became the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo and non-stop in 1968/69.

The compass used on the 312-day voyage, on Suhaili a boat he built himself, was stolen from it in Rochdale in 1969.

It was left by a woman at Holyhead Maritime Museum, Anglesey. Sir Robin said he'd "given up" finding it again.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe

Gerry Thomas, from the museum, said the compass was brought in by a woman just over week ago and left on the counter.

He said she told museum staff "her late husband had stolen it off Sir Robin's boat in Rochdale just after he had completed the round-the-world trip" and then quickly left.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston thought he would never see the compass again

Mr Thomas said: "I was a bit dubious about taking a stolen item into the museum - so I called him and he confirmed that it had been stolen."

Sir Robin said when they phoned: "I didn't believe it so I asked them to send me a picture and then there was no question about it... that's it.

"They are going to put it on display for a bit and then I will come up and collect it and give a talk at the museum."

The museum said the compass was already on display "safely behind glass".

The museum said it expected to have the compass on display through the summer