The dead man, Kevin Corrigan, had taken early retirement from AIG insurance and moved to Phuket last month. He had planned to meet his girlfriend in Vietnam before travelling together to Australia. The boat is believed to have been a catamaran capable of holding four people. Survivors said it was hit by a sudden squall.


ONE British sailor is dead and two other sailors narrowly escaped injury after a yachting tragedy off Chalong, on Phuket's east coast, today.

The man, a tourist visiting Phuket, died about 12.30pm when the mast of a yacht toppled or snapped without warning.

He was plunged into the water and either drowned, or suffered a heart attack.

Police Captain Tenchai Dungsuwan, of Chalong police station, said the boat was sailing back towards Chalong, a popular mooring spot on the east coast of Phuket, after an outing to nearby Koh He island for lunch.

Conditions were ideal for sailing, with bright sunny weather and a light breeze blowing. It is believed the men were not wearing life jackets.

Rigging broke, part of the mast fell, and the small boat capsized, the captain said. A local fisherman in a traditional longtail boat was quickly on the scene. He used a mobile telephone to call for help.

Captain Tenchai said the men were all British tourists. The two survivors said that their friend had a Japanese girlfriend who had been working in Vietnam, and he was planning to visit her.

The body of the dead yachtsman is now at Vachira Hospital in Phuket City. Embassy officials are attempting to contact his relatives.

Phuketwan has been given the name of a 59-year-old man who was staying at Fisherman Way, a gated residence not far from Chalong.

We are withholding his name until his relatives have been informed.