Tragic solo sailor Steve Cummings — whose body was washed ashore at Shelly Bay yesterday morning — was an experienced yachtsman who had sailed around the world and had spent his entire life “messing around boats”.

But the veteran skipper had to be towed into Bermuda two months ago after his vessel — a 65ft former US Army tug boat — developed mechanical problems.

Mr Cummings, from Stuart on the west coast of Florida, is understood to have been attempting a single-handed voyage across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean island of Malta — a journey he made last year with his wife, Rose.

But he was forced to detour to Bermuda and remain on the Island for several weeks while his boat — Silent Thunder — was repaired.

It is not known when exactly he left the Island to begin his final fateful journey to reunite with his wife, but authorities received a distress call shortly after midnight yesterday and a desperate search-and-rescue mission, involving marine police, divers and the Bermuda Regiment, was launched.

A debris field was established, but attempts to track down Mr Cummings in the pitch darkness proved fruitless. His body was discovered in the surf off Shelly Bay Beach at around 7.50am yesterday. The wreck of Silent Thunder was later located off the North Shore by police divers.

“Quite a bit of debris was left behind, and some flotsam came ashore around the area where the body washed up on Shelly Bay Beach,” a spokesman said.

“The vessel will be lifted either today or tomorrow, and after that we should be able to determine what caused it to sink — whether it struck an object or there was some kind of technical fault.”

Although it is understood that Mr Cummings started out on his journey alone, he had placed a number of adverts on boating websites searching for volunteer crew members.

“Looking for one or two crew to assist in taking the motorsailer Silent Thunder from Stuart Florida to Gibralter and then onto Malta if so desired,” he posted on the cruisersforum.com website earlier this year.

“The vessel will be departing Sunset Bay Marina on or around June10-15 and will be inroute for approx a 30 day period to Gibralter at 6kts. The vessel can be viewed on the internet as several media articles have been posted to date. Minimal experience level(s) are not a concern but one has to be in good physical and mental condition; there will not be any alchohol or drug usage while enroute, period!”

And in a 2012 interview with the nautical website All At Sea, Mr Cummings revealed that he had been “messing around boats” his entire life.

He took a 65ft yacht around the world in 1991 with an extended layover in Malta, where he met his wife, Rose. The couple then returned home to the US, calling in on 95 countries along the way.

“I’ve been everywhere except Antarctica,” Mr Cummings said in the interview.

“We made 95 countries and 105 ports and we only stayed at two docks. They made us dock at Sydney, Australia, or I would’ve anchored there too.”

Mr Cummings gave the interview in May last year, shortly before he and his wife sailed to Malta.

“With a handful of chores to be done, the couple plan to depart from Florida before the hurricane season begins to introduce Silent Thunder to Rose’s family in Malta,” the article said.

“With 2,000 gallons of fuel, 500 gallons of fresh water plus two water makers, three generators, four sets of batteries, a wind generator with four-foot blades, several electronic charts, multiple radars and satellite communication, Silent Thunder is well-equipped for the Atlantic crossing.

The article quoted Mr Cummings as saying: “We’ll know our route when we see what the weather is like. If it isn’t fun, don’t do it,” said Steve. “If it isn’t a challenge, don’t do it.”

In his interview, the avid sailor also said that restoring Silent Thunder — built in the 1950s by the US Government for service in Korea — became an obsession.

He purchased the tug in 2008 and spent the next two years making her seaworthy.

Mr Cummings, who had an extensive background in commercial, industrial and marine construction, then transformed Silent Thunder’s shell into a comfortable family home.

“The aft cabin, with bunks welded to the sides of the walls, was gutted and the rear-facing porthole was replaced with a door,” the article stated.

“It is now the formal sitting room with a large reach-through opening to the galley. The galley has all the conveniences of home, including a refrigerator, oven, microwave, ample counter space and custom-built storage compartments. And Rose’s herb garden.

“The cargo hold, below the main deck at the bow, is now the master bedroom, bathroom and stateroom. Thousands of books fill the custom handmade shelves alongside banks of drawers and cabinets.”