THE release of the long-awaited film about the ill-fated voyage of Donald Crowhurst from Teignmouth, has been put back.

Much of it was shot in the resort two years ago with many locals taken on as extras, and was due to be screened in cinemas around the country and other parts of the world in October.

Now Studio Canal, the distributors, have announced that The Mercy will be released on February 9 next year. No reason was given for the postponement, other than ‘diary commitments’.

The film stars Colin Firth as Crowhurst, who set sail from Teignmouth in 1968 in his trimaran in the Sunday Times sponsored Golden Globe single handed race around the world. Rachael Weisz plays his wife Clare.

In July 1969 Crowhurst appeared to be in the lead, and a triumphant homecoming was being organised with live television coverage, including cameras on top of The Ness.

But Teignmouth Electron was found abandoned in the Atlantic, with no sign of Crowhurst. An investigation revealed he had faked his logs, and never left the Atlantic.

There have been many theories about what happened, but it is now generally believed he had a mental breakdown and jumped overboard, realising that his deception would be exposed if he returned as the winner.

It has become one of the great mysteries of the sea, and still creates interest around the world.

The name of the film comes from one of the final entries in his logs – ‘It is is finished. It is the mercy’.