Search begins for missing sailor
A sailor has disappeared in the Irish Sea, the coastguard agency said this afternoon.
The man, 40, last contacted his brother yesterday morning when he left Peel in the Isle of Man en route to Ardglass, Co Down.
He had said he would call his relative on arrival last night and when he did not make contact the coastguard was alerted.
The service is checking harbours, marinas and other anchorages in Co Down, the Isle of Man and Liverpool.
The Portaferry, Co Down, RNLI lifeboat has launched and an aircraft from the Republic of Ireland has been assisting the search.
Ian Murdock, watch manager at Belfast Coastguard, said: “At this moment we are searching quite a large area for this sailor. There is concern for him as we have no further information of his whereabouts.”
The man had been living on his boat in Liverpool and left the city on Friday night for the Isle of Man.
The vessel was in good condition and had sailed around the world under a previous owner, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed.
