British sailor Luke Stimson missing in the Pacific is Japan-based company executive Luke Stimson is Asian director of UK firm David Austin Roses He had been on an ambitious sailing trip when he fell overboard in the Pacific His fiancée Laura Vernon watched helpless as he drifted away in rough seas By Damien Gayle Lost at sea: Luke Stimson, who was swept overboard from his yacht 'Jonetsu' in the Pacific Ocean 2,000 miles of the coast of Hawaii The British sailor missing in the Pacific is a company executive based in Japan whose fiancée watched in terror as he was swept into rough seas during an ambitious 16,000 yacht trip. Luke Stimson, 38, had been attempting to sail from Osaka, Japan, to Southampton with Laura Vernon, 35, when he fell overboard into the Pacific Ocean in the early hours of Sunday. As their vessel was battered by six-foot waves she could only look on helpless as Mr Stimson disappeared in raging seas 2,000 miles from the coast of Hawaii. After raising the alarm via satellite phone Miss Vernon was plucked from the stricken craft by a U.S. Navy rescue helicopter. A massive search operation has so far failed to find any trace of her fiancé. Their boat, named Jonetsu, Japanese for 'passion for life', has been left adrift in the ocean after attempts to moor it to a warship failed. The U.S. Navy and Coastguard continued their efforts to find Mr Stimson but warned that 'challenging' conditions might hamper the search. Coast Guard officer Eric Chandler said: 'It's real challenging out there. We can't get our cutters out there.' He told the Evening Standard that although the location where Mr Stimson was lost is remote it was not unusual for yachts to be so far from land. 'People often sail pretty far out of reach,' he said. 'I don't think that it's that unusual for him to be out there.' Mr Stimson is Asian director of UK flower firm David Austin Roses, based in Albrighton, Shropshire, and had been spearheading the company's successful Japanese operation since 2009. His mother Betty, 65, was too distressed to speak from her home in Wellington, Shropshire, today, but she confirmed Luke had been with his fiancée when he was swept overboard. 'It's a very distressing time,' she said. David Austin Roses in Albrighton, Shropshire: Mr Stimson is Asian director of the UK flower firm and had been spearheading the company's successful Japanese operation since 2009 David Austin Roses spokesman Emma Weaver said devastated colleagues had only heard the news yesterday morning. 'We are a very close company and all know Luke well, so it is a very worrying time,' she said. In a statement, his colleagues said: 'Our thoughts are with his family and we are hoping against hope that he will be found soon. He is a truly remarkable person and a very valued employee. He has been in Japan for the last three years and has done a tremendous amount of work to set up our new Japanese office and rose gardens. 'He's an energetic, passionate person with a hands on approach and has been involved in absolutely everything, from the initial exploration and planning of the operation through to planting and pruning some of the roses in our rose garden. 'He is a very kind person and it says a lot about his character that he called his 38 feet yacht 'Jonetsu' which means passionate for life.' Keen yachtsman: Mr Stimson stands by a boat in a photo handed out by David Austin Roses. A neighbour told how he would often travel to the South Coast for sailing and was working towards certificates Neighbours in Shifnal, Shropshire, where Mr Stimson owns a £150,000 semi-detached property, said they rarely saw him but knew him to be a passionate sailor. Mary Jackson, 79, said he appeared to spend most of his free time sailing. She said: 'He was hardly ever in because he worked away from home a lot. 'But he would often tell me he was travelling down south to go sailing - he'd been taking exams to get certificates. 'I had heard he was planning a big trip but I didn't realise he was going to try and sail all the way back from Japan.' Remote: As their vessel was battered by six-foot waves Mr Stimson's fiancée Laura Vernon could only look on helpless as he disappeared in raging seas 2,000 miles from the coast of Hawaii Just weeks before setting out on his voyage Mr Stimson had appealed for help on an internet sailing forum for help fixing a fault with his boat's autopilot system. On March 7 he wrote: 'I would really appreciate some help with this, as i am about to attempt a rather ambitious 16,000 mile sail back to the UK from Osaka. So it would help to get this right!!! Another user responded with a detailed technical instructions on how to diagnose the fault, but Mr Stimson never replied to say whether he had fixed it.