British sailor goes missing off Gran Canaria as only his dog and boat found

A British builder has been reported missing while embarking on a round-the-world sailing trip after his yacht and pet dog were discovered near the Canary Islands - but the man himself was nowhere to be found.

James Nunan, 34, first began his journey back in March aboard the Kehaar, a yacht he had purchased in Slovenia.

Accompanied by his miniature Jack Russell, Thumbelina, he had hoped to travel around the world on board the boat, and initially that plan appeared to be going well. The news comes as a missing 63-year-old vanished in Dublin and may be in London.

However, that all changed last month after James' yacht was recovered 50 miles off the coast of Gran Canaria by the local coastguard, with Thumbelina still on board - but no sign of the sailor himself.

Nunan, a builder from Reading known to his family as "Jemsie", was last in contact with his mother, Maura Norton, 56, and his family on August 18, with his bank card last used that same day at a kebab shop in Las Palmas at 10.39pm.

Over a year in the making, James' round the world trip had been a long term ambition, and the keen sailor had stopped in both Gibraltar and Lanzarote before making his way to Gran Canaria.

His half-sister, Nikita Goddard, 31, from Lincoln, told The Telegraph: "He's always been a free spirit. Before he went sailing he was living in a converted van, and he was travelling around Scotland in it.

"When he was in Scotland he just got this idea that he was going to get a boat and sail around the world. He's been doing that since late March this year. He waited until after my son was born so he could meet him and went pretty much straight afterwards.

"He's been going all around Europe on his boat. He's been very good about keeping contact with my mum. I've been hearing through my mum how he has been getting on and what he has been doing.

"She last spoke to him on August 18 - it was a Monday - and by the Wednesday my mum started to get a bit worried. I believe it was Friday, August 22, when she reported him as a missing person.

"We are told there was a 'pan-pan' alert made in regards to his boat - it's one step down from a mayday."

The last known sighting of Nunan took place on the same day he was in touch with his family, when he attended Paddy's Anchor, a pub in Las Palmas, to unwind at the end of a long day.

It is understood that both his passport and backpack were stolen that same night.

With Nunan now formally declared a missing person, his father has headed to Gran Canaria to search for his missing son, while officers from Essex Police have continued to support mum Maura at home.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."

Essex Police said: "We're in touch with James's family to provide support to them at this very difficult time.

"We have submitted a number of queries through our international liaison officers and Interpol to Spanish authorities. At this stage we are awaiting response.

"We dearly hope James can be located safely as soon as possible and we will continue to be in contact, alongside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with his family, and [will] help where we can."