COASTGUARDS last night called off the search for a man believed to have drowned with his son after they went missing on only their second fishing trip in their creel boat.
Earlier, they recovered the body of Mr Robert Drever, 28, in the water near his home at Newark Cottage, Sanday, in Orkney. However, they failed to find his father, also Robert, 65, of Newark Bungalow.
The search started late on Tuesday after the men failed to return from a fishing trip on Mr Drever Jr's boat, the 27ft Donna M.
A hatch cover thought to be from the boat was recovered and a dog belonging to one of the men turned up at home, after apparently having jumped from the boat and swum ashore.
A coastguard spokesman said last night they were winding down the search with deep regret but could not continue any longer: ''We have been searching almost 18 hours and have no further evidence to search any other areas.''
He said a thorough search by coastguards, the Sanday lifeboat, a fishery protection cruiser, and an RAF helicopter had not located the boat or Mr Drever.''
Mr Drever Sr had run one of the biggest farms on the island - population 533 - until he retired and handed over the operation to three of his five sons.
His wife, Barbara, was being comforted by family, friends, and Sanday's Church of Scotland minister, the Rev Danny Gibb, as were Mr Drever Jr's wife, Sarah, who is in her late 20s, and the couple's two young children, Jodi, two, and Calum, one. They had been married for about three years.
Mr Drever Jr travelled to the Western Isles earlier in the summer to buy the Donna M, a second-hand inshore fishing boat.
He was an experienced fisherman but had been working until recently with his brothers, David and Billy, at the family farm, Newark. His other brothers, Tommy and John, are also inshore fishermen, working from the Orkney mainland.
After fitting her out, he and his father set out on Monday on their maiden fishing trip and were on only their second outing when the vessel disappeared.
Coastguards said it had been due to return to the island's Kettletoft harbour at 4pm on Tuesday and was last seen off the headland of Tres Ness an hour earlier.
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