THE lifejacket of an experienced Liverpool yachtsman failed to inflate after he fell overboard off the Welsh coast, an inquest heard yesterday.

Father-of-four Robert Joseph Downey, from Higher Road, Wool-ton, was dragged helplessly behind the 119-year-old fishing ketch.

His crewmates fought desperately to drag him back aboard, but Mr Downey died from drowning despite a friend's half-hour struggle to revive him.

The 55-year-old civil engineer's life-jacket had failed to inflate because its carbon monoxide canister was missing.

Mr Downey's fellow crewman Keith Hargreaves told the hearing in Milford Haven: "Someone had taken the gas bottle off his lifejacket, rendering it useless"

Pembrokeshire coroner Michael Howells said: "It seems such an extraordinary thing to steal," and Hargreaves replied: "If this was an industry you would be prosecuted for playing around with safety kit."

Yacht skipper Laurie Mill said he had been "shattered" to discover the crucial piece of equipment was missing.

Mr Downey, described as a safety-conscious sailing fanatic with over 30 years' experience, died after tumbling overboard off the coast of Pembroke-shire while sailing the Silvery Light, an 1884 trawler, from Cornwall to Scotland on April 24.

Yacht skipper Mr Mill said: "I saw him clip himself on and then he did a fluid somersault over the bulwark into the port side of the sea.

"It was surreal and unbelievable and to this day I am totally amazed at what happened.

"Robbie did not panic in the water, call for help or try and pull himself up. He just lay there like a rag doll."

Mr Hargreaves, from Walton, said the crew had motored around Land's End before setting sail in the Irish Sea.

"Robert was given the role of chef which he wasn't very happy about because he didn't do much cooking at home," he said.

The voyage went well until the yacht approached Lundy Island, off Pembrokeshire, when Mr Downey went overboard.

"I came out on deck and could see there was no one at the wheel," said Mr Hargreaves.

"I looked over the side and saw Robert being pulled along behind the boat. He was being dragged along on his back."

"Robert was not a big chap, but fully wet he was very heavy," said Mr Hargreaves. "We somehow manhandled him onto deck."

A lifeboat and helicopter were called and Mr Downey was flown to hospital in Haverfordwest where he was found to be dead on arrival.

Mr Howells said: "I cannot comprehend the mindset of someone who would steal such an important item from a lifejacket."

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

After the hearing, Mr Downey's widow Jean, said: "We just cannot understand how he ended up in the water. Robert was so nimble on his feet it just doesn't make any sense."

Mr Downey is also survived by sons Patrick, 29, Shaun, 26, Tim, 23 and Austin, 20.