British environmentalist who refused to fly feared dead after he goes missing from boat off the coast of New Zealand Matthew Wootton was on the final leg of a three year round the world trip He boarded a wooden schooner in New Zealand on May 29 Nothing has been heard from the vessel for the past three weeks Missing: Environmentalist Matthew Wootton is feared drowned after a ship he was travelling on off the coast of New Zealand sunk The parents of a British environmentalist feared drowned off the coast of New Zealand yesterday urged search teams to carry on looking for his missing boat. Matthew Wootton, right, a Green Party activist who refuses to fly for environmental reasons, was aboard a 70ft schooner called Nina with six Americans when it is believed to have sunk in a storm. Rescuers had found no trace of the boat last night, but had not given up hope of finding survivors. Mr Wootton, 35, from Lancaster, was on the final leg of a three-year round-the-world trip. His mother Susan, 62, said: "We are on the internet every minute of the day trying to find some news. We just want the New Zealand coastguard to keep on looking for the boat. 'They've only searched one third of the area they should be searching. Mr Wootton was on the final leg of a three year round-the-world trip when he boarded the 75-year-old wooden schooner in Opua, on New Zealand's North Island on May 29. But nothing has been heard from the vessel, which was captained by an American and had five other US citizens on board, for three weeks. Search and rescue authorities in New Zealand now believe the boat, which was heading for Australia, sank in a storm and are scouring the area for survivors. Mr Wootton, who was born in south-east London, worked for a communications company in Lancaster before starting his global tour at the start of 2010. He had been travelling ever since, mostly across North and South America and more recently in New Zealand. His sister, Lara Inwood, 31, said her brother, a classically trained cellist, was planning to spend a few months in Australia before returning home. "He is very environmentally aware and so has been travelling by boat and public transport," she said. He has been staying with local people in all the places he's been and is interested in learning about different cultures. Fears: Mr Wootton, who was born in south-east London, worked for a communications company in Lancaster before starting his global tour at the start of 2010 I believe he was travelling to Australia from New Zealand to spend a few months there before coming back home. It is understood Mr Wootton's parents, Ian and Sue Wootton, were on holiday in Florida, America, where they have a property, when they found out their son was missing earlier this week. One neighbour, in Orpington, Kent, said: "We had a call from them telling us what has happened. As you can imagine they were extremely upset but still desperately hoping that he will be found alive. He's been gone three years now. He won't fly for environmental reasons so he's been going everywhere by boat. He started in America, then went to South America and then the Polynesian Islands and New Zealand, and he was on a boat to Australia when this happened. It's very distressing, it doesn't seem real. We've known Matthew since he was 13 or 14. He's very clever. He likes writing, I think he's writing a book about his journey. He's also a talented musician, speaks several languages, and is a really lovely young man. The vessel, named Nina, was last heard from six days after leaving Opua, around 370 nautical miles west-north-west of the New Zealand's most northerly point. Search leader Neville Blakemore, from New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCCNZ), said they started trying to contact the boat on June 14, after being alerted by the families of those on board. Traveller: Mr Wootton had been travelling mostly across North and South America and more recently in New Zealand He said it was assumed the vessel had gone down in a storm, but remained optimistic that some crew members could still be found alive, so long as they had made it into a life raft or found land. New Zealand Air Force Orion P3 search aircraft have also scoured the area, so far without success. The RCCNZ said the ship was equipped with a satellite phone, a spot device which allows regular tracking signals to be sent manually, and an emergency beacon. However, the emergency beacon has not been activated, it said. Mr Wootton, a graduate of Northampton University, who also studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, has been writing a blog about his travels. David Murray, chief executive of the Green Party, said Mr Wootton had been a member of the Green Party for more than 10 years and was actively involved with communications and public relations before he left on his trip. "Our thoughts are with Matthew's friends and family and we all hope that everyone on that boat is found safe and well," Mr Murray said. He's remembered by colleagues as somebody who enjoyed life and wanted to explore the world and everything it had to offer. Not knowing if he is okay is worrying for everyone. Other members of the party took to Twitter to tweet their hopes of his safe return. Ben Duncan, a Green Party councillor, said: "An absolute tragedy. My great friend Matt Wootton is on this boat. I hope he's ok. Another councillor from the party, Elise Benjamin, tweeted: "Hoping Matt Wootton is ok! No sign of missing yacht Nina. A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed Mr Wootton was among those aboard the schooner and said officials were providing consular assistance to his family.