The mystery of the mummified body of a German adventurer who was found dead on his yacht off the coast of the Philippines has taken a new twist after a haunting note and photos were uncovered.

Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, whose body was discovered by two fishermen, wrote a thirty-two word memorium to his beloved wife Claudia, who died from cancer aged 53 on May 2 2010.

'Thirty years we're been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live. You're gone. May your soul find its peace. Your Manfred,' it read.

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The mummified body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat was found aboard his yacht, drifting in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Barobo town in Surigao del Sur

Mr Bajorat's body was found near to the radio telephone as if he was trying one last desperate Mayday call to save himself when he died

These tragic final words were discovered on a forum for sailors on the Internet called kaktusguenther.de.

Mr Bajorat's body was found sitting near to the radio telephone as if he was trying one last desperate Mayday call to save himself when he died.

Christopher Rivas, 23, a resident of P-4 Poblacion, in Barobo, was fishing together with a friend nearly 40 miles from the coast when he spotted the yacht, painted white and whose sail was broken from afar.

The 40-foot long yacht, named SAYO, had been cruising around the world for the past 20 years.

Inside the cabin, much of which was underwater, were found photo albums apparently showing his wife, family and friends, and clothes and tins of food were strewn all around.

It is unclear how long Manfred, who has been identified thanks to paperwork on board, has been dead or what killed him - although authorities believe there was no foul play involved.

Mystery: A more recent image of Manfred Bajorat, whose mummified body was discovered on board his boat, off the coast of the Barobo town in Surigao del Sur

Heartbreak: Authorities are trying to establish the last days of Mr Bajorat, who appears to have left a tribute to his late wife, Claudia, on a shipping forum. Pictured left, she is also believed to be pictured in a damaged photo album found on board the ship where Mr Bajorat was found

Police are trying to retrace his last voyages and find the last people to speak with him

HOW DOES A BODY MUMMIFY ON THE OPEN SEA? Professor Frank Ruhli, Director of the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich explained to MailOnline how the mummification of the sailor's body might have come about. ‘There are various ways that natural mummification can occur. Basically in most cases it is a dehydration of tissue, which causes a shrinkage of the cells,' he said. ‘On the open sea, there are generally fewer insects than there are on land. The salt and salty air particularly can help to lead to natural mummification, and a steady air flow can be supportive too. ‘Mummification starts within days, depending on temperature, salt content, level of humidity, bacterial level and air flow. ‘Once the mummification is finished and there is no climatic change, the process of decomposition is stopped and the mummified condition can thus last almost indefinitely. The mummified hair is also dried out and thus stays as it is. ‘There are several factors that can speed the process up, including heat, a steady air flow, salty air and lack of insects and bacteria. ‘The mummification process can be – at least partially – completed within days, or can take up to several months to fully develop. ‘With “favourable” conditions, this state of mummification could have been achieved within a few months, it looks like it has been quite fully mummified.’ Advertisement

A friend told BILD that he last heard of him one year ago on Facebook for his birthday.

Dry ocean winds, hot temperatures and the salty air helped preserve his body.

Police are trying to retrace his last voyages and find the last people to speak with him.

He broke up with his wife in 2008, who had been on his travels with him, and she died two years later of cancer.

Photos from an album in the cabin have been uncovered, showing a family in happier times which testify to the life on land that Manfred sailed away from.

One image shows a wife, his daughter Nina, a friend and his partner, enjoying a picnic on a wooden table beneath sun dappled trees.

Another badly battered picture shows Manfred and a baby, presumably his daughter, with the words: 'Our first time with our little Button on the sea.'

Other fragments are snapshopts of Notre Dame in Paris and Claudia and Manfred enjoying a drink at a Parisian sidewalk cafe with the wording above; 'Drink Coca Cola.'

Yet another shows more familiar landmarks of the French capital including the grave of the Unknown Warrior and the Arc de Triomphe.

Other pictures from inside the yacht show the state of chaos in which it was found - clothing, footwear, books, paper - among the detritus. And a touch of humour too in the sign screwed into a bulkhead: 'This is a swell ship for the skipper....but a hell ship for the crew.'

In 2009 in Mallorca he met another world sailor called Dieter who told Germany's BILD newspaper: 'He was a very experienced sailor. I don't believe he would have sailed into a storm. I believe the mast broke after Manfred was already dead.'

His body was taken for an autopsy in Butuan City, the yacht was towed for a police inspection into the port of Barobo.

Authorities were still determining the cause of the death and have been in touch with the German Embassy for more information about the man.

The sign screwed into a bulkhead reads: 'This is a swell ship for the skipper....but a hell ship for the crew'

Devastation: The vessel was found with tins and rubbish strewn around, with ageing photo albums that had seen severe water damage

Former life: The mystery as to where he had been and where he was going remains as baffling as the moment Mr Bajorat was discovered. Clues appear to lie in the haunting photographs and documents found on board in a weather-worn album found on the boat

Family life? A photograph apparently discovered on board shows a woman holding a baby, possibly Manfred's wife Claudia with their daughter Nina, standing next to a boat being towed by a car

Following the post-mortem, a spokesman from the Barobo police station told MailOnline that there is no evidence of 'foul play'.

'The doctor believes that the man died of natural causes, and there is no evidence of foul play,' he said.

Police spokeswoman Goldie Lou Siega in the Philippines said; 'We have no evidence of a second person aboard and no weapon was found on the yacht.'

Dr Mark Benecke, a forensic criminologist in the city of Cologne, told BILD: 'The way he is sitting seems to indicate that death was unexpected, perhaps from a heart attack.'

The German embassy in Manila is working with local officials to trace his family in Germany. It is believed he has a daughter called Nina who works as the captain of a freight vessel.

Manfred had crisscrossed the world's oceans in 20 years at sea, clocking up over half a million nautical miles.

Following the post-mortem, a spokesman from the Barobo police station told MailOnline that there is no evidence of 'foul play'

Haunting clues: Badly damaged photographs are the only testament to the life on land that Mr Bajorat sailed away from

These photographs show memories of a happier time. Photographs found on board the boat are the only clues as to the kind of man Manfred was, and the loved ones he may have left behind

Authorities in the Philippines are working with the German embassy to identify Manfred's surviving friends and family - although they are so far proving difficult to trace

Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, was discovered by two fishermen aboard his yacht in the Pacific Ocean 40 miles off the coast of Barobo town in Surigao del Sur

He sailed the Atlantic, he sailed the Pacific, he sailed around the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Agean and, as a younger man, the waters of the Baltic bordering northern Germany.

Not all of it was done on his yacht: he was aboard the freighter Hyundai Renaissance on August 1 2008 when he crossed the equator en-route from Singapore to Durban, south Africa.

A certificate found aboard his shattered yacht showed he had adopted the nickname 'Tiger shark' to mark the event - a milestone in the lives of all mariners.

He posted regular updates on his Facebook page of his travels on the 160,000 pound yacht.

Martinique in the Caribbean was one of the favourite places visited by himself and his wife, Claudia, the place where she was buried after she passed away in 2010.