Rescuers fail to save yachtsman

A helicopter from RAF Chivenor pulled the man from the water

A man has died after a wave washed him off a yacht near Milford Haven off the west Wales coast.

He was on the vessel with a crew of three others when he went overboard between Milford Haven and Skokholm Island at 1020 BST on Sunday.

Dyfed-Powys Police said that desperate attempts were made by the crew to rescue the man, who was 53.

This included launching a liferaft into the water, so that another crew member could try to reach him.

This was unsuccessful, and he was finally pulled from the sea by a helicopter scrambled from RAF Chivenor, north Devon.

A spokesperson for Milford Haven coastguard said: "The man was steering the yacht when the wave knocked him overboard.

"Initially, the other crew members launched a liferaft and he was pulled back on to the boat.

"But it was very rough out there and the yacht keeled over and they lost their hold on him."

The man, from Reading, Berkshire, was finally pulled from the sea by a helicopter and flown to Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A 29-year-old man, from Finchley, London, was also taken to Withybush Hospital suffering from exposure to the cold. The other two crew were not hurt.

The spokesman added that the yacht had been heading from Milford Haven to Ireland, but had turned back because of the difficult weather conditions.

Coastguards said the yacht had left from Dale in Milford Haven on Sunday morning, and was heading to Ireland on what is thought to have been a pleasure trip.

Police said they were investigating.