THE parents of a yachtsman found dead in the English Channel are "devastated".

Rupert Saunders, whose parents live in Swanley, was found dead along with his two childhood friends after a mysterious boating accident.

On August 20 Mr Saunders and his friends, Jason Downer and James Meaby, set sail from the Isle of Wight.

They planned to take Mr Saunders' 26ft yacht, The Ouzo, to the Dartmouth Regatta, in Devon.

Two days later the bodies of Mr Meaby and Mr Saunders, both 36 and from Tooting, south London, and Mr Downer, 35, from Broadstairs, Kent, were found.

No distress call was made, leading coastguards to believe the boat may have been in a collision with a larger vessel.

Isle of Wight coastguard James Brian Taylor said: "We can only make the assumption the missing yacht has been involved in some catastrophic collision."

All three men were found wearing inflated life jackets, but there has been no trace of The Ouzo.

Mr Saunders' parents Albert and Marilyn, of Swanley Village Road, released a statement in memory of the trio.

They said: "Rupert, James and Jason are a group who have been close friends for many years, going back to school and university days."

"All three had a zest for life, following testing professional careers, along with a love for sports and sailing.

"They were all competent, qualified sailors and were on board Rupert's 26ft yacht Ouzo which he shared with his brother Jamie.

"They were all loving family members who will be dearly missed."

A neighbour of the couple said: "You never think anything like this will happen to a family down the road.

"It's just a terrible tragedy, and the whole family have been left absolutely devastated."