A FORMER steel rigger who had lived a 'colourful life' died after falling into the water at Whitehaven Marina on the way to his boat where he lived with his dogs, an inquest has heard.

Stephen Mark Curwen, 63, was retrieved from Whitehaven Marina on April 15, 2024, after a member of the public alerted the police to a body floating in the harbour.

He was last seen by landlady of the Royal Standard pub in Whitehaven, Jordan-Louise Hirst, as he left the establishment at around 10.15pm on April 14.

In a statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroner’s Court, Ms Hirst said that Mr Curwen was a 'really nice man who came in every day and because of that I became very close to him'.

She reported that he had returned to the pub at around 8pm, and was drinking vodka and cokes.

Mr Curwen was sat at the bar chatting to Ms Hirst 'as always', before leaving, and was the only customer in at the time.

She said he was 'staggering slightly', and walked toward the area of the Beacon Museum, where his boat, where he lived with his two dogs, was moored.

When Mr Curwen did not come in the next day, Ms Hirst became concerned and asked a friend to check his boat.

His two dogs were found, but his bed 'looked like it hadn’t been slept in'.

Detective Superintendent Matthew Scott of Cumbria Police said in a statement that police were called at 9.08am by a member of the public.

Det Supt Scott arrived at 9.51, discovering that Mr Curwen had been retrieved and had been pronounced dead by paramedics.

He said that on enquiry, it seemed likely that Mr Curwen was under the influence of alcohol, and had slipped on the wooden walkway leading to his boat and fell into the water.

Det Supt Scott said that he had walked on the planks and they were 'very slippy' due to the heavy rain and high winds.

He said Mr Curwen was wearing multiple layers of clothing including a sheepskin coat which was 'very heavy' when retrieved.

This, coupled with the cold water, would have led to him drowning, he said.

Deanne Shawcross, CEO of the Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, on request of the court, outlined the regular maintenance of the harbour, and twice-weekly assessments undertaken.

Assistant coroner for Cumbria, Dr Nicholas Shaw, said: "I have been to Whitehaven harbour, and I can personally confirm that it is well maintained.

"As she says, marinas can be precarious.

"Sadly, other bodies have been retrieved from Whitehaven harbour in the past."

Mr Curwen’s daughter, Joni Rogan, said that her dad was a 'regular guy who had a colourful life'.

As a family they had moved to South Africa in 1987 where Mr Curwen worked as a steel rigger in gold mines.

They moved back to Workington in 1993, when Mr Curwen and his ex-wife divorced, and he worked around Europe and Russia in steel rigging.

She said it was 'quite a surprise to us all' when he took a job in security in Iraq in 2004, but stopped when he met his partner Jackie after a year.

He got back into steel rigging, and when Jackie died in 2016, bought his boat and moored it at Whitehaven harbour, where he moved permanently with his dogs when the Covid pandemic struck.

Dr Shaw concluded that Mr Curwen’s death was accidental, and due to immersion.