Yacht recovered after man's body found

Hampshire police are investigating afer a man’s body was found in water off East Cowes, Isle of Wight.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said coastguard rescue teams were tasked at 8.50am yesterday to search for a yacht ‘because of what the person was wearing.’

Newport and Bembridge coastguard rescue teams and Ryde independent rescue team, together with Cowes RNLI lifeboat, were all involved in the Solent Coastguard-co-ordinated search to find the yacht, which was located with ‘no one else on board’.

A police spokesman said: ‘We can confirm police received a call shortly before 9am on Sunday, November 29, 2015, about a body in the water off the coast of East Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

‘The death is being treated as unexplained at this time.

“Officers are conducting routine initial enquiries to establish more details about the identity of the body.

“Anyone with information can contact police by phoning 101. Mini-com users can phone 18001 101.’

In a statement, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said Cowes RNLI lifeboat was launched yesterday morning ‘to search for a yacht following the discovery of a body of a man close to the East Cowes shore of the River Medina, a few metres from the floating bridge.

‘The search for the boat was under the direction of Solent Coastguard; taking part were a Cowes Harbour Commision launch and onshore coastguards from Newport and Bembridge. Meanwhile the police, initially supported by a police launch, were carrying out detailed investigations in the area where the body was found.

‘Later the lifeboat crew heard that the yacht from which the man was thought to have come was discovered in Cowes Yacht Haven. It was ascertained no-one else from the yacht was missing.’