Australian yachtsman feared drowned when thrown overboard on way to Malta

A yachtsman from Victoria, Australia, is missing, feared drowned, when he was thrown into the sea during a storm while on his way to Malta, the Melbourne newspaper Herald Tribune reported yesterday.

The 33-year-old man and his fellow Australian co-skipper were travelling from Antibes, on the French Riviera, to the Malta aboard Risky Business, a rented, 15-metre yacht, when tragedy struck.

The Herald Tribune reported that the couple had had changed course for Corsica after their US-registered vessel was caught in a violent storm.

The Herald Tribune reported officials saying that the man, from rural Victoria, was swept into the sea as he tried to board another yacht near Ajaccio, on Corsica's west coast.

At the time, the vessels were being buffeted by strong winds and seven to eight-metre seas.

His co-skipper immediately raised the alarm, but could do little to save his friend.

After 33 hours of searching, French military and rescue services gave up hope of finding the man alive, the Herald Trbune reported.