Purbeck Isle inquest: Fishermen's deaths 'accidental' The poor condition of a fishing boat probably contributed to the deaths of three fishermen who drowned off the Dorset coast last year, a coroner said. David McFarlane, 35, Jack Craig, 21, and Robert Prowse, 20, were aboard the Purbeck Isle when it sank south of Portland Bill in May 2012. The three fishermen had set off from Weymouth on the wooden potting vessel when it foundered. An inquest in Dorchester found their deaths were accidental.