Relatives of Georg G. from the Büchenbach district of Erlangen have confirmed the death of the 61-year-old architect to a local television station. The skipper, an enthusiastic sailor for more than 15 years, had set off on holiday on Lake Garda last week with his six-metre boat and his two friends Peter L., 65, and Reinhard I., 71. The trio did not return from a trip on Sunday.
The men had set off in G.'s boat "Gecko" from the "Molino" campsite in San Felice del Benaco on the western shore of the lake in the early afternoon despite an approaching storm - and according to media reports, corresponding warnings. When they did not return, the campsite operators alerted the emergency services. According to the local press, a helicopter pilot then discovered Georg G.'s body off Desenzano on Monday and recovered it.
He is said to have been wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a lifejacket, which would firstly indicate that the situation was completely underestimated and secondly suggests that the skipper died of hypothermia in the water, which was around 12 degrees centigrade. An autopsy on Friday will clarify this. The inadequate equipment seems strange in that G. is consistently described by acquaintances as "anything but a daredevil". In addition, all three sailors were in top physical condition. G.'s sister-in-law also describes him as prudent and also experienced in sailing: "He sailed to Lake Garda every year." His brother told the Nuremberg newspaper "Abendzeitung": "Sailing was his greatest passion."
The body of Peter L., formerly a restaurateur in Erlangen, was also discovered a little later, Reinhard I., a retired dentist, is still missing, but there is no hope of finding him alive. According to the newspaper "tz", the two are said to have obtained their sailing licence on the Adriatic two years ago.
Rescuers found the capsized boat in the south of the lake between Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione. The exact course of the accident is still completely unclear. The strong winds, which were accompanied by hail, can cause metre-high waves on Lake Garda. An expert on the area said: "The lake does not forgive the slightest mistake in such situations."
