The body of a South African who had been missing in the Beaufort area for almost a week was found Tuesday morning about a half a mile from his sailboat docked near Front Street. Clifford Saville-Wood, 44, who lived on his boat while sailing the world was found dead around 10:00a.m. when a Beaufort Fisheries Co employee saw his body in Taylor's Creek, said detective Jason Wank of the Carteret Sheriff's Department.
Saville-Wood was found near the Beaufort Fisheries Co docking area off Lennoxville Road.
"Basically, one of the employees who works for the company stepped off a boat and observed
the man floating face down in between the boat and the dock", said Wank. "He would have
been easy to miss had that employee not looked down". Wank said the employee immediately
called 911. He said Saville-Wood's sailboat was less than a half mile from the Beaufort
Fisheries dock.
Wank said the body would be taken to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville for an autopsy.
Authorities do not suspect foul play.
Saville-Wood's friends told police they believe he had a seizure and fell off of his sailboat.
Saville-Wood, who has been boating for more than 10 years, had been taking medication for
seizures.
The sailor fell off a boat two years ago, but someone was there to help him. This time,
authorities believe he was alone. The sheriff's department was contacting Saville-Wood's
relatives in South Africa and Australia. "He's from South Africa originally, but he
doesn't have a permanent residence" Wank said. "He basically just travels the world,
that's just what he does"
- Sapa-AP
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This page was prepared from a NEWS24.com report
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