A man has been arrested after a British sailor vanished from his yacht in the middle of the Indian ocean.
Sean Terry, 48, had been sailing from the Maldives to Madagascar and was last in contact with his family on June 18.
A week later his yacht Finnegan arrived at the island of Coetivy off the coast of the Seychelles. But the only person on board was Austrian scuba diving instructor Stefan Pokorny.
Pokorny has told police he joined Mr Terry on the yacht in the Maldives as it was on its way to Madagascar but that Mr Terry jumped off the boat in a rage.
Judith Middleton, a spokeswoman for Mr Terry's, has told The Independent: "Pokorny came on board the yacht as an experienced and strong diver and the family wants to know why he did not do more to rescue Sean.
"He told police that Sean got angry and jumped off the boat, but that does not add up. He told police it happened at night and in bad weather but other ships in the area said the weather was fine.
"The man-over-board button was not pressed and the satellite communication equipment was not used to radio for help. The family are desperate for answers."
Safety equipment on board, including a life belt and dinghy, were found still on his yacht when it docked in the Seychelles.
Ms Middleton added that Mr Terry has been looking forward to spending Christmas with his family and said the former quantity surveyor would not contemplate suicide.
The yachtsman's two laptops and the ship's logbook, which could hold crucial information about his disappearance, were missing when it arrived in the Seychelles.
Pokorny is being held in custody while Mr Terry’s disappearance is being investigated and he will appear in court on Thursday. So far no charges have been filed.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the disappearance of a dual British, South African citizen who went missing near the Seychelles and are providing consular assistance to the family."
Mr Terry, who was born in Britain but lived in South Africa, had taken early retirement to sail solo around the world.
