Two of the three men who died from yacht Ouzo may have been conscious when they hit the water, it was revealed at an inquest today.

James Meaby, 36, and Jason Downer, 35, both had time to manually inflate their lifejackets. The third casualty, Rupert Saunders, 36, was wearing an automatic lifejacket. It’s not known whether the men inflated their lifejackets on entering the water, or whether they did so onboard moments before a collision. Mr Meaby, whose body was recovered off the Isle of Wight on 22 August, died of drowning and hypothermia. His friends, who were found 10 miles away a day later, had both drowned.

The wreckage of the Sailfish 25 Ouzo has still not been found. It’s thought it may have collided with a larger vessel when it left Bembridge, Isle of Wight, on the evening of 20 August for a regatta in Dartmouth.

Earlier this week Hampshire Police examined the hull of the P&O ferry The Pride of Bilbao and took the vessel’s black box data recorder. They are also checking the movements of other ships.

Photograph courtesy of the Saunders family: Left to right: Jason Downer, Jamie Saunders (not on board), Rupert Saunders and James Meaby.