Conn. sailor from empty boat found dead

The Connecticut owner of a sailboat found abandoned Friday off Long Island has been found dead, authorities said.

Authorities identified the man, who apparently fell off his sailboat into the water, as 63-year-old Francis Closter.

His body was spotted first by Coast Guard aircraft and retrieved by Connecticut State Police personnel about a quarter-mile from Duck Island at about 2:15 p.m. on Friday.

Closter's boat, a 34-foot Jagular, was found by a pier worker in Northville who saw the vessel with its sails up and electronic systems running, but no one onboard, officials said Friday.

Closter, of Haddam, Conn., left Midway Marina in Haddam on Thursday to sail to Clinton, Conn.

An employee at the ConocoPhillips pier found the boat at about 5:30 a.m., the Coast Guard said. Clinton is almost directly across Long Island Sound from the pier where the boat was found, near Jacobs Point in Northville. Haddam is along the Connecticut River in Middlesex County, Conn.

The Coast Guard said Closter's wallet and glasses were found aboard the boat.