Miracle hope for Essex sailors missing off Portugal
Friends of two Essex sailors missing off the coast of Portugal after a yacht capsized in rough seas have said they are "hoping for a miracle".
Chris Hull, 52, and Glenn Foster, 24, who are both from the Southend area, disappeared after their boat got into trouble near Porto early on Saturday.
Another man, also 24 and from Essex, was rescued and is recovering.
The three men had been sailing the yacht, Water Waves, from Vigo in Spain.
They hit a storm as they headed to a marina.
Peter Thompson, commodore of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club where Mr Hull was a member, described him as an experienced sailor who "knew what he was doing".
"It is understood the yacht was on its way from Vigo, Spain, to Gibraltar and the yacht had been trying to enter a marina at Povoa de Varzim, just north of the city of Porto, when (it was) struck by a wave and capsized," he said.
"Chris is an experienced sailor.
"He has many friends here and our thoughts are with his family."
In a message on the club's website, yachtsman Glenn Stoneham wrote: "Chris is a great guy. We are hoping for a miracle."