A VETERAN Gwent sailor died after falling overboard during a yacht race because he was wearing the wrong type of shoes, an inquest has heard.

Julian Martin, 71, of Castle Lea, Caldicot, was wearing his "favourite trainers" when he slipped on the wet deck to plunge into the icy waters.

The inquest heard how Mr Martin should have been wearing deck shoes because they have much better grip.

His fellow sailors - including a doctor - pulled him out of the sea near Lavernock Point off the coast of the Vale of Glamorgan but found he was not breathing.

Mr Martin suffered a massive heart attack but the inquest heard he died "doing something that he loved to do".

Dr Anthony Gray told an inquest: "Julian lost his footing, he didn't have the appropriate footwear on.

"He was wearing his favourite trainers. Deck shoes are important when conditions are wet."

Qualified sailor Mr Martin was taking part in a race on the Bristol Channel when the tragic accident took place.

The father-of-three was making his way from the starboard to the port side of the 13 metre yacht when he slipped.

Mr Martin - who had more than 40 years sailing experience - fell under the "safety barrier" on the Bavaria 42 Cruiser racing yacht.

He grabbed a hold of a line and his friends pulled him from the water near Lavernock Point.

They started carrying out CPR on Mr Martin but they could not get him to regain consciousness.

Dr Gray, who had sailed with Mr Martin dozens of times, added: "The sea was cold at six degrees but the crew were competent and experienced.

"The performance of the skipper and the helm were as would be expected."

His crew mates called the coastguard and emergency services and Mr Martin was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead just hours after the accident on February 1 this year.

His daughter Lisa told the inquest: "He died doing something that he loved to do.”

“My dad was an accomplished sailor, he had passed his Yacht Master qualification in the 1970s and often went racing with his friends who he had known for many years."

Retired electrical engineer Mr Martin "lived life to the full" and enjoyed spending time with his friends in Cardiff Bay and Chepstow yacht clubs.

Widower Mr Martin was on his friend's yacht at the time of the tragic accident.

A post mortem examination found that Mr Martin had hypertension and went into cardiac arrest after being "immersed" in the water.

After his death the widower's family asked for donations to the RNLI in his memory.

Cardiff coroner Andrew Barkley said that the widower's death had been an accident.