A LONE boating trip ended in tragedy when the Mayor of Upton-upon-Severn died on board his boat.

Ernie Holder is believed to have had a heart attack at the wheel as he headed towards a lock at Penarth on Friday night.

The lock-keeper raised the alarm when the 74-year-old boatsman failed to arrive. His boat, Tahelia, was spotted going around in circles.

Coun Holder had been to visit his sisters in Padstow, Cornwall, where his wife, Helen, joined him the previous weekend.

"I came home, but the weather was too bad to bring the boat back, so he stayed in Padstow," she said.

Conditions were better on Friday when he began the long journey home, calling Mrs Holder at 9pm to say he would be mooring at Penarth.

"He was just off Barry, with five miles to go and he was fine, but tired. It was becoming hard work and he had still to go through a big sea lock.

"He said he'd ring when he got to the mooring about 10.30pm," she said.

When her husband did not call, Mrs Holder thought he had fallen asleep. In the morning, she realised he had not logged in at Penarth and called the Swansea coastguard to be told his boat had been found.

"He must have become ill at some point between 10pm and 11pm. He had rounded the last headland, with the mooring in sight," she said.

"He died doing something he loved. Not many people are that lucky."

The couple, who had been Mayor and Mayoress of Upton since May 2000, celebrated their silver wedding in March.

They were keen boaters and had owned Tahelia for 12 years. Coun Holder was an enthusiastic member of Upton's Castaways Club.

Originally from Walsall, he lived in Upton for 20 years. He joined the town council in 1998.

"Ernie was someone with a very warm personal touch," said Coun Simon Wilkinson.

"He had a charm and an interest in all that was going on."

The Mayor of Worcester, Coun David Clark, added: "He was a lovely man."

Coun Holder is survived by his wife and son, Richard. Another son, Mark, died of leukaemia five years ago.

Cremation will be followed by a thanksgiving service at Upton Parish Church on Tuesday, August 21, at noon.