AN 80-YEAR-OLD Trowbridge man is missing after his boat was found drifting off the coast of Cornwall.

Peter Smith's boat Midnight Oil was found by a fishing vessel north of St Ives on Monday morning without him on board.

Falmouth coastguard scrambled a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and launched a lifeboat to search for Mr Smith, and naval vessel HMS Severn also joined the search.

Mr Smith divided his time between living on a canal boat, The Waterlilly, moored at Hilperton Marina and the converted lifeboat Midnight Oil, which was moored at Milford on Sea in Hampshire.

He had been on a boating trip with his son and the two had been travelling down from Scotland.

They had docked at Milford Haven in Wales after experiencing mechanical problems but Mr Smith had managed to repair the boat.

He left Milford Haven on the Midnight Oil on Saturday morning and set off for Gosport, while his son got off the boat and decided to make his own way to Gosport, where he lives, by road.

Mr Smith has not been seen since Saturday morning.

The coastguard conducted an extensive search after the boat was found on Monday but did not find any trace of Mr Smith and has since called off the search.

When the boat was found, the engine started first time and all Mr Smith's clothes and possessions were found inside the cabin.

Midnight Oil was towed to St Ives and then taken to Hayle harbour on the next available tide, where she is now resting.

Devon and Cornwall Police are treating the inquiry as a missing person investigation and have been talking to the pensioner's son.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We are speaking to the man's son as a routine matter as he was on board a few days before.

"At this time, the police are treating the incident as a missing person inquiry.

"We will be speaking to Wiltshire Police as part of the investigation in due course."

A Belgian fishing boat discovered Midnight Oil abandoned at sea, 23 miles off Cornwall's north coast between St Ives and Padstow at 11.45am on Monday.

Mr Smith's 36-foot cruising narrow boat, The Waterlilly, was still moored in a berth at Hilperton Marina this week.