Gareth Weekes drowned on sailing trip off coast of St Vincent and Grenadines .
A British grandfather has drowned while snorkelling during a holiday in the Caribbean with his wife.
Gareth Weekes, 77, was on a yachting trip with his wife Alison off the coast of St Vincent and the Grenadines when he died.
Weekes, an avid sailor who has been described by his family as a ‘wonderful’ father, had gone into the water to go snorkelling but he later drowned.
Tributes have since poured in for Mr Weekes, the former editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
His eldest daughter, Veryan Canston, 40, told the Daily Echo: ‘Dad died he lived – taking risks, having adventures, exploring the world and approaching life with boundless enthusiasm and a gung-ho zest for new experiences. We are glad he was having those adventures right up till the end.’
Mr Weekes’s other daughter, Jenna Fansa, 43, who also worked as a journalist at the Echo, added: ‘Dad took a very genuine interest in everyone he met – together with his wit and engaging writing style, this made him a very talented journalist.
‘Kindness ran through everything he did. He was a wonderful father. We are so very lucky to have had him.’
Mr Weekes was married to primary school teacher Diane for 35 years until she died in 2004. The couple had three children together – Veryan, Jenna and Bronwen.
In 2007 he married Alison Hulls, whom he was snorkeling with when the tragedy struck.
His wife, who lived with Weekes at their home in Clayhidon, Devon, said: ‘Absolutely everyone described Gareth as a lovely man.
He grew up in South Wales and worked at a firm of solicitors before becoming a journalist. He edited weekly newspapers in Tavistock and Salisbury before later becoming the editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Under his leadership at the paper, it became the first in the UK to offer a paedophile register, which allowed organisations working with children to check the records of those applying for jobs with them.
