The helicopter search for 17-year-old Robert Merton was called off on Friday. RNAS Culdrose did not intend resuming the search this week.

A civil aircraft spotted a kayak on Thursday evening after the teenager had gone missing on Wednesday evening.

The search operation involved helicopters, emergency tugs, local vessels, tourist boats and passing shipping, all of which were on the lookout.

Robert is a well-known local gig rower and cricketer.

Search and rescue said that the area was large and so much time had elapsed that there was a decreasing likelihood of finding the Islander.

Last Tuesday the Islands stopped. The airport was closed, the tripper boats missed their two o’clock trip as many Islanders paid their respects to Nathan Woodcock and his family.

The funeral service was attended by hundreds of people in the Methodist Church and in much of the street outside. His body was carried up Church Road and laid to rest in Old Town Graveyard.

Islanders expressed their grief in different ways over the twelve days between his death after a domestic gig race and the day of his funeral. His oar has been standing on the Old Quay, near where he died, with flowers and tributes. His body had an emotional send-off on Monday as hundreds of people gathered on the quay whilst his body left to be autopsied. The following Friday’s gig race was changed to a row, where his fellow gig rowers paddled from Nut Rock to St Mary’s Quay, raising their oars upon reaching the quay in a moment’s silence. His fellow lifeboat crew-members brought his body back on board a relief lifeboat, which was joined by two lifeboats from the Cornish fleet. On Tuesday, his pub friends sung in chorus in a tradition in the Mermaid he had always enjoyed.

His family request that anyone wishing to make donations send them to St Mary’s Lifeboat or to Megan’s Trust, set up for Nathan and, his partner, Vicky’s daughter.

A search has resumed for a missing St Martin’s teenager whose kayak was found in the sea.

It is not yet known if the 17-year-old boy was in the boat, which was spotted by a search helicopter north-east of the Islands on Thursday.

The search began when the boy’s brother realised his bed had not been slept in on Wednesday night, and that the family’s lifejacket and kayak were missing.

It has involved coastguard rescue teams, the lifeboat, local boats and a Navy rescue helicopter, as well as local police and fire units.

The missing boy is described as a very experienced gig rower who loves fishing and has a part-time job. His disappearance is said to be “out of character”.

The launch of Radio Scilly is to be celebrated with a new beer - and Islanders and visitors are being asked to come up with a name.

Mark Praeger, who owns the Ales of Scilly brewery, is to create a real ale to mark the station’s permanent return after eight years of short-term trial broadcasts.

He offered to brew something special for the launch when he heard that Radio Scilly - the smallest station in the world - is back on the Islands full-time.

“Radio Scilly is something unique to the Islands and, like Ales of Scilly, it has grown massively in size and popularity over the years,” he said.

“The Radio Scilly team members have been fans of my Scuppered ale for many years and as a big fan of the station, I wanted the brewery to be involved in this big day.”

Ales of Scilly is based close to the station’s new studio at Porthmellon, which is currently being painted ahead of the launch date of September 3.

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Managing Director Keri Jones said: “Radio Scilly has a responsibility to promote the best in Island produce.

“We thought it more appropriate to launch our community project with a toast from Marks local brew rather than imported champagne. I want us to start as we mean to go on.”

Now Mark is asking Scilly News readers to suggest a name for the new beer.

“Ideally, the new ale will have a catchy name with references to radio or our the Islands,” he said.

The closing date for suggestions is August 15. The winner will receive a 9 pint microcask of the new brew, an invitation to the station’s launch party and a Radio Scilly sweatshirt as a prize.

Suggestions can be emailed to studio@radioscilly.com
The winning name will be unveiled on http://www.radioscilly.com

A councillor has welcomed a decision by Penzance Town Council not to allow a piece of wreckage from the HMS Association to return to the Islands at a cost of ?20,000.

Cllr Gordon Bilsborough had argued that retrieving the sternboard of the ship, famously wrecked in 1707, would cost the average Scilly taxpayer ?20 per head.

The Islands’ council wanted the artefact - currently at Penzance Magistrates? Court - to be displayed in the council chamber as part of a commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the disaster later this year.

But councillors is Penzance voted not to part with it at a meeting on 16 July.

A final decision on the issue will rest with Penwith District Council on 29 August.

“I find it difficult to believe that Penwith Members will ignore the overwhelmingly democratic decision of Penzance Town Council,” said Mr Bilsborough.

“As a separate issue, there is some doubt as to whether or not the sternboard secured to the wall of the courtroom in St John?s Hall in Penzance actually came from the Association.”

He added that he was “very disturbed” to read that the Islands? Assistant Chief Technical Officer had said Scilly has a “very good relationship” with the people of Penzance and would be happy to replace their coat of arms.

“I hope that all councillors will be given ample opportunity to debate this matter before any action is taken to spend ?20,000 from our diminishing Reserves on an item of disputed origin when there are so many more important problems to address,” he said.

The Isles Of Scilly Music and Sports Festival committee has announced details of the biggest free event on the Islands in recent history.

Last year’s August Bank Holiday festival on the Garrison was a big success but organisers pledged to offer an improved range of attractions for 2007.

New for this year will be the introduction of two huge marquees on the Garrison field, one of which will host a Real Ale Festival featuring beers from Scilly and around the Britain.

Groups from all the Islands will play a part in producing food, arranging attractions and performing live music at the event.

Menu choices will include everything from Scillonian cream teas to Chinese food, fresh pasties and a barbecue.

The chairman of the organising committee, Mark Twynham, said the festival is set to become the biggest event on the Islands’ calendar.

“Last year 2,000 residents and visitors attended. This time, we want even more people to enjoy the food and fun because the proceeds help good causes and charities represented on the Islands,” he said.

“We don’t charge for admission so we’ve added a greater range of meals and refreshments in order to raise more money for the organisations whose work really makes a difference to people here on Scilly.”

The Music and Sports Festival begins at 11am on August Bank Holiday Monday and finishes at 10.30pm.

Islands artist Richard Pearce and his wife Caroline have appeared on the Radio 4 show ‘Ramblings’.

The couple joined presenter Clare Balding on a stroll around Bryher for the series, which features walks around the extremities of the UK.

Richard was born on St Mary’s and now works at the Golden Eagle studio, a converted gig shed on the beach at Bryher.

Their walk began at the town and took an anti-clockwise direction, ending up at Samson Hill.

Listen to the show at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/atoz/index.shtml#r (click on Ramblings).

We have been asked to publish the funeral arrangements for Nathan Woodcock, as his family know there will be many who wish to pay tribute.

The service will be held at 2pm on Tuesday 24 July in the Methodist Church on Well Cross (TR21 0JT).

The family requests that only family make floral donations and that any donations people wish to make be made to St Mary’s RNLI.

Editors note: Online donations can be to the RNLI by visiting https://www.rnlipdd.org.uk/donations

A 23-year-old St Mary’s man died suddenly following a gig race on Friday evening.

Lifeboat engineer Nathan Woodcock had been competing with the crew of the Bonnet when he collapsed as the race ended.

He was treated by medical staff at the scene but they were unable to revive him.

Nathan, a father-of-one, was the son of Islanders Derek and Melanie Woodcock.

He was one of four St Mary’s men training for a transatlantic rowing race next year.

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He and Joel Bond, 23, Tim Garrat, 24, and Chris Jenkins, 42, were aiming to beat the record for a four-person crew set more than a century ago.

Islander David Jenkins told the BBC: “He was a very popular guy, born and bred on St Mary’s. He had his dream job, he met his partner a couple of years ago and they had a baby daughter. Everything was looking good for him.”

The Scillonian Club cut local band Touching Cloth’s performance short on Friday night as a mark of respect.

The Met Office has forecast more heavy rain for the Islands over the next few days.

Intense outbreaks of heavy and thundery rain are expected across the north and west of the UK, including Scilly.

More than 25mm of rainfall is possible in many areas, and as much as 50mm in others.