Friends today paid warm tributes to a pensioner who fell 30ft to his death from the rigging of a historic tall ship.
William Kneller, 75, of Southbourne Grove, Hockley, was one of 30 people who had paid to take a sailing trip on the 105-year-old Dutch clipper, the Albatros, on Sunday during a visit to Southend.
But Mr Kneller's adventurous nature led to his death when he asked for permission to climb the ship's rigging and fell, suffering fatal injuries.
His wife and family are still coming to terms with the tragedy and the possibility of a negligence charge against the ship's owners has not yet been ruled out.
David Harvey, steward at the Royal British Legion in White Hart Lane, Hockley, where Mr Kneller was a regular drinker said: "He was a very outdoor person.
"He enjoyed fell walking in Scotland and I am sure he enjoyed the hospitality of the Scottish inns.
"He had a lot of get up and go for a 75-year-old, hence his tragic accident. It is very sad. He was a lovely bloke."
A postmortem examination carried out yesterday gave the cause of Mr Kneller's death as multiple injuries to the upper body.
Published Wednesday August 25, 2004
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