The body of a 47-year-old Annapolis man who fell off a sailboat near Poplar Island Friday night was recovered from the Chesapeake Bay south of Tilghman Island's Blackwalnut Point late yesterday afternoon.

Stephen A. Bickell was one of nine people on the 40-foot sailboat Electra when he fell overboard about 7:45 p.m. Friday. Authorities said the Electra had been cruising near Poplar Island, in Talbot County, more than five miles north of where the body was found.

Natural Resources Police, state police and the Coast Guard conducted a two-day search for Mr. Bickell's body.

The search operation was hampered by 4-foot waves and gusting winds, officials said.