Keen sailor who died in freezing water in Gosport was suffering from undiagnosed cancer

Keen sailor Ian Ferguson was discovered wearing heavy clothing, clutching the boat's ladder after entering the water and apparently being unable to get out at Hornet Marina in Gosport.

The 64-year-old grandfather, an officer in the Army Cadet Force, was found after his long-term partner Anne Woolard became concerned he hadn't returned home.

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The inquest could not conclude how he ended up in the water, but his family told how he was experiencing dizzy spells and lack of balance in the run-up to his death.

These symptoms were possibly caused by an undiscovered kidney tumour which was found after he died, the hearing at Portsmouth Coroners Court was told.

The inquest heard Mr Ferguson, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, kept his ‘old wooden’ yacht, the Capreolus, between Hornet Marina and Haslar Marina in Gosport.

On the weekend of December 11, 2021 he went to check it.

Ms Woolard - who he had recently agreed to marry after 32 years together - raised the alarm on December 13, 2021.

Nicholas Miller, operations manager at the Gosport Royal Naval Sailing Association, went to investigate and saw a person's arm looped through the lower rung of the boat's ladder.

‘After I received the call from Anne I went down to the Capreolus to see if he was there.

‘The lights were on and the shutter was unlocked. I shouted but there was no response, so I boarded but there was no one there.

‘I then saw the ladder was down and there was a person's arm tangled through the bottom rung. I called the coastguard and hooked the body with a boat hook so it wouldn't float away, but I couldn't lift him up.

‘It took four people to get him out of the water. He still had his glasses on his head and was wearing many layers of heavy clothing. I was powerless - there was nothing I could do.’

The water temperature at the time was estimated to be -6C.

The hearing was told that Mr Ferguson taught engineering at Oaklands College, Hertfordshire. He had purchased the Bermudan yawl in 2008.

Ms Woolard said that in the weeks leading up to the accident, her partner had been struggling with his health and she didn't want him to go to check on the boat.

She said: ‘He was a happy and forward-thinking person with a lot of hobbies. In the weeks before his death he seemed to be more tired than usual.’

‘He was having some difficulties but we put it down to getting older, but he was losing strength, had trouble with his balance and would have tremors. None of this really upset him, he just found it amusing. He never complained about any real pain.

‘In the October half term, we made plans for the future. We were going to get married and move...he would retire so we could have more time together. But nobody knew how ill he was. In hindsight, there was something wrong. He was a bit secretive.

‘We were teasing each other not long ago about getting older. He said “don't worry, we've got insurance so you will be okay” and I said “I don't want the money, I just want you".

‘He went down that Saturday to winter the Capreolus and to make sure she was safe. But he seemed so bad, I asked him if he was sure he should go. I didn't want him to go.

‘I know he didn't want to die. But I think there was something there which made him try and get his things together, to make sure the boat was okay.

‘Our grandson Isaac emailed him about steam trains on Saturday evening, and he never replied. That never happened with Ian.’

Area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp recorded a verdict that Major Ferguson died in an accidental death - caused by immersion in water and 'metastatic' cancer, a form of the disease originating in the kidney which spreads across the body.

A tumour was only uncovered during a post-mortem examination.

She said: ‘It is unclear why or how he got into the water. He was wearing heavy layers of clothing - there was clearly some kind of accident and he was unable to pull himself out of the water.At that time of year, there was no-one to hear or see him to help.’

The Capreolus has been left in the care of a family friend who Mr Ferguson taught to sail.