Spanish Police have confirmed the identity of a 71-year-old sailor who was found in the water next to his yacht at Alcaidesa Marina in La Linea.

1 December

Tributes have been paid to Joseph Williams, who was found floating next to his boat in Alcaidesa Marina.

The 71-year-old had moored his 38-foot yacht in the marina for several months, and divided his time between the UK and Spain.

He was found on 27 November 2016.

Despite efforts to revive him, Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post mortem examination has confirmed the 71-year-old skipper drowned.

Officers with the Guardia Civil have begun an investigation into Williams’ death.

Speaking to the Dundee Evening Telegraph, Stuart Davies, who was moored next to Williams, said the sailor was “a really smashing bloke.”

“When we first arrived he wasn’t here as he found the Spanish summer too hot and he went back to Scotland.”

“But we did finally meet him about a month later and he was such a great guy — he was a font of all knowledge. We would talk every day,” he said.

Williams was originally from Dundee.

 

28 November

The body of a 71-year-old has been found floating next to his boat in a Spanish marina.

Police at the border town of La Linea were called to the Alcaidesa Marina in the Straits of Gibraltar just after midday on Sunday 27 November 2016.

Officers pulled the sailor’s body from the water, but nothing could be done to save him.

The man, who has not been formerly identified, is believed to be from Dundee in Scotland.

His yacht has been moored at the marina for several months.

A postmortem examination is expected to be carried out to try and find out if there is anything suspicious about the man’s death.

The Scottish Sun has quoted an unnamed source close to the case as saying: “There was nothing at the scene that raised any immediate suspicion that the man died as the result of a crime but the post-mortem will tell police more.”

“It is not yet clear how long he had been in the water,” said the source.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said: “I can confirm the body of a British man aged 71 has been found in a marina in La Linea. It is still being investigated.”

La Linea is in the southern Spanish province of Cádiz, just north of the boarder between Spain and Gibraltar.

Alcaidesa Marina os one of the main marinas in the town.

It has 624 berths, ranging in size from eight to 100 metres.