Following the discovery of a yachtsman’s body 10 miles south south of the Nab Tower the Coastguard is co-ordinating a huge air and sea search for the yacht he is believed to have been sailing, the 27ft, blue hulled Ouzo, and the remaining two crew who had been on board, both described as being experienced yachtsmen. There are fears that the yacht could have been run down.

The yacht had left Bembridge bound for Dartmouth on Sunday. Solent Coastguards said they are now searching for “more bodies, flotsam and jetsam or wreckage”.

Local fisherman Barry Handley, who found the body, said “I would imagine, from the distance it had travelled, that it had probably come from the main shipping lanes in mid-channel.”

If anyone has seen or knows of the whereabouts of the yacht, please contact Solent Coastguard on 02392 552100.