Andrew Carrick (45), his brother John (36) and Andrew's partner Jill Russell (48) were killed when their boat, Last Call, overturned in rough seas on Friday 23 November.

A speedy rescue attempt by Whitby lifeboat was unable to save them.

Witnesses told the inquest about the events on and leading up to the tragic day and painted a picture of a number of people who tried desperately to save the three.

It also heard how according to one witness only Miss Russell was wearing a buoyancy aid as the boat was leaving the harbour.

An off-duty police officer from Bedfordshire, visiting Whitby with his wife, risked his own life to try to save the trio.

He described the moment he saw the boat leave the harbour.

"We had come to watch the waves break," said Sgt Peter Fitzgibbon of Luton.

"We saw the boat go past and my wife said 'surely it's not going out'?"

He added: "I was running down the pier with my dogs trying to get their attention as I just felt I had to do something. They didn't see me.

"I watched the boat hit two or three waves then the boat went absolutely vertical and two people fell out the back."

Sgt Fitzgibbon then ran down the West Pier while on the phone to the coastguard telling them what he saw and requesting the lifeboat and a helicopter until a wave broke over the pier and broke the phone.

"I saw two bodies floating in the water to the left of the pier," he said.

"One of them was wearing a buoyancy aid as I saw a flash of orange. The other, who appeared to be in all black, was not.

"One of them was floating very well, the other was not. I was yelling at them to swim towards each other."

"Did they respond to your calls?" asked coroner Richard Watson.

"It was very windy, I don't think they could hear," replied Sgt Fitzgibbon.

He then described how the lifeboat arrived on the scene to pick up the two men,

"I turned around and the lifeboat was there, and then as I put in my statement the lifeboat was lifted up by a wave and I could have stood in between the water and the boat and not touched either.

"The whole boat was airborne.