FRIENDS of a missing Hampshire sailor have paid tributes to their popular crewmate as they await news of his whereabouts.

Keyhaven man Hugh Carter who dedicated his life to the sea and boating has been missing for more than a week.

As reported in yesterday’s Echo, the 74-year-old was last seen leaving Keyhaven Yacht Club on Sunday and was recorded leaving at 9.44pm by the club’s CCTV.

Hugh was born in 1942 in Winchester but moved to Milford-on-Sea when he was eight years old. His father was a watch and clock repairer and jeweller and Hugh took over the family business at 100 High Street.

After retiring in the late 1990s Hugh went on to pilot the Hurst Castle Ferry until 2007. From then he worked a volunteer at the castle and spent the rest of the time refitting his 38-foot yacht, Norisle.

He has been living on the boat in Keyhaven since 2002. He bought the vessel in Ardfern, Scotland that year and sailed it back to Keyhaven.

His friend David Pryer, 59, a retired police officer said: “He was always full of life and to go missing in these circumstances causes me great concern.”

David says that he met Hugh at Keyhaven’s pub, The Gun Inn, nine years ago when he was looking for a crew to sail to Cherbourg and Hugh volunteered. “We did the trip and became friends,” said David.

“He had originally intended to sail his yacht to New Zealand but the refit took longer than expected and even recently he had spoken of ambitions of setting off for The Azores.”

David said that Hugh had undergone two hip operations, which, although successful, had delayed the refit of the Norisle.

David described Hugh as “a marvellous craftsman in every way”

Hugh built a 70 ft yacht with a friend Mike Corbin, the Misty Moonbeam, at Husbands Shipyard at Marchwood, a task which took ten years. He also built a number of Osprey dinghies and sailed one to Alderney in the Channel Isles.

Hugh joined Lymington Town Sailing Club in 1957 and became active member, serving as commodore in 1982 and 1984. Hugh helped to build the former boat shed at the Town Sailing Club, which was nicknamed “The Albert Hall” because of its size.

In 1972 Hugh started a series of races for keel boats which came to be called the Solent Circuit which still runs to this day.

During the the 1980s the races would attract a field of more than 150 boats with some entrants coming from as far afield as Scotland to compete. Among the notable yachtsmen who took part was former Prime Minister Ted Heath.

Another friend of Hugh’s, Keith Willis, 54, a company director from Lymington, who sailed with him to Alderney in the Osprey, recalled: “He got badly burnt once. It was in the 1980s and we were due to go sailing but he didn’t come. It turned out he was in Odstock Hospital in Salisbury.

"A gas cylinder had caught fire in his face while he was at work in the shop. He was very badly wounded and required skin grafts. He always had a beard after that.”

Of his disappearance Keith said: “I was shocked. He was one of the good guys. In recent years he used to bring his boat to Lymington in the winter and I would see him drink at the Sailing Club and The Mayflower.”

Hugh has a sister, Linda, who lives in nearby Pennington.