THE OWNER of the yacht seized by the Iranian navy in the Persian Gulf says he hopes the sailors will soon be reunited with their families.

One of the five strong crew is Southampton man Oliver Smith, 31.

Speaking in Scarborough, Andrew Pindar, chairman of Sail Bahrain and owner of the boat, where his printing business is based, told reporters: ''As the Foreign Office continues to liaise with the Iranian authorities, our thoughts are very much focused on the safe return of the crew and in supporting the families who await their return.

''The Team Pindar crew members on board are a close-knit group who are all qualified sailors and have extensive experience on board racing yachts.

''Oli Smith, who was skippering the crew during the delivery, has been involved with the team for many years and has over 100,000 sailing miles under his belt.''

Mr Pindar added: ''Through the limited contact we have had with the crew, we are pleased to confirm that they appear to be in good spirits and have confirmed that they are being well looked after.''

Mr Pindar said he would remain in the UK and intended to be in close contact with the Foreign Office to ''resolve the matter as soon as possible''.

He added: ''On behalf of the team I would like to extend our thanks and appreciation for the support we have received from wellwishers throughout the sailing fraternity the world over.''

Shortly after Mr Pindar spoke, a Foreign Office spokesman said: ''This afternoon the permanent under secretary met with the Iranian Ambassador.


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''He stressed the need for Iran to confirm where the yachtsmen are being held, to grant us formal consular access to them, and the need for a speedy resolution to this matter. These were points we had been making for some days.

''Since it was now almost a week since the yachtsmen were held, the delay in providing a full explanation of what had happened and clarity on Iranian intentions were a matter of increasing concern.