THE family of a kayaker who was struck by lightning while out at sea believe that he died during a brief but violent storm off the Essex coast.
Keith Kirkum, 59, of Regents Court, Burnham, loved the outdoors and was an experienced kayaker.
On August 6, 2012, he left home between 2.30pm and 4pm with the intention of going kayaking.
But when he had not returned by 3.30am the following day, his worried partner, Charlotte Kelly, 61, phoned the police.
After a search by the coastguard, the RNLI, Essex Police and the ambulance service, a jogger came across Mr Kirkum's body on the beach at Bradwell at 5.30am.
He had suffered a heart attack after being hit by lightning.
Ms Kelly, his partner of 25 years, attended the inquest at New Bridge House in Chelmsford on Tuesday.
She told the court that the family wanted to find out if Mr Kirkum was struck by lightning during a squall.
"The squall, a sudden storm, was found to have fallen on August 6 and I was interested to see if his time of death was during this half hour," she said.
After the inquest, Ms Kelly added: "The key thing is this is part curiosity. The loss of Keith to me is more important than anything else."
Mr Kirkum's cousin, Howard, who flew from Jersey to attend the hearing, said: "I definitely will be in touch with the coastguard.
"I have to know in my own mind what the conditions were like at the time."
Ms Kelly paid tribute to her partner and said that Mr Kirkum, who helped her with her book business, was somebody with a very inquiring mind.
She said: "For me he was an absolute soulmate. That says it in one. Life has been very flat but steady. I continue to miss Keith but I'm forging ahead with life as he would have wanted."
Howard, 53, said: "Keith was like a brother to me. When I was nine I spent three years living with him and his family. They brought me up.
"Even now I can't take it in."
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said that Mr Kirkum had suffered a heart attack as a result of electrocution.
"This was a sudden and unexpected death," she said.
"It was a tragic and one-off accident."
