The yacht was escorted back to Milford Haven

Despite desperate attempts to save him by his crew members and coastguards, 55-year-old Robert Downey was prounounced dead on arrival at a west Wales hospital.

He had been knocked off the 119-year-old yacht Silvery Light in gale force winds off the Pembrokeshire coast on Friday morning and was stuck in the sea for 15 minutes.

During frantic efforts to haul him back on board, two men also suffered injuries, and also needed to be airlifted to hospital.

The yacht, which was built in 1884 in St Ives and is based in Devon, had been sailing from Penzance to Edinburgh to attend a maritime museum.

Coastguards were scrambled to the scene, and airlifted Mr Downey, from Liverpool, to Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest.

Two other people were left aboard the yacht, which was then towed into Milford Haven by a lifeboat.

Mayday

Police were waiting on the quayside as the vessel arrived.

"We are going to try and establish exactly what happened on the vessel," said Inspector Nigel Hayes, from Dyfed-Powys Police.

Inspector Hayes said police would investigate what happened

"It is obviously a coroner's case, and we are investigating on behalf of the coroner," he added.

Nigel Yelland, coast guard watch officer at Milford Haven confirmed the man had been overboard for around 15 minutes.

"He was recovered to the yacht by a crewman," he said.

"They then declared a mayday and requested assistance and the casualty was airlifted to Withybush Hospital and was certified dead on arrival.

"Conditions at the time were absolutely atrocious with a gale force eight south easterly wind," he added.

The rescue began after a distress call was picked up by Milford Haven Coastguard when the yacht, believed to be British, reported a man overboard 18 miles off the coast near St Anne's Head at around 0800 BST.

He was recovered by a helicopter, Rescue 169 from RAF Chivenor, North Devon.