The release of Paul Chandler after more than a year in captivity at the hands of Somali pirates was mixed with sadness as he learnt of the death of his father for the first time.
During his time as a hostage Mr Chandler had repeatedly voiced fears for his father, Alfred, who reached the age of 99 in June but did not live to see his son released.
On an internet blog on which they charted their adventures travelling in their yacht the Lynn Rival, they described spending much of the time at Mr Chandler’s home which they described as a “lovely place to relax by the sea.”
In one of the last updates before their disappearance while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania, they posted a photograph of the sea view from Mr Chandler’s home labelled as “a reminder of Dartmouth”.
