Posted on 04/20/2007 8:01:07 AM PDT by bedolido
Time runs out in yacht mystery
April 22, 2007 04:25pm
Article from: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21599828-2,00.html
Seach suspended for yachtsmen at centre of mystery
Speculation continues over missing men’s fate
Sons vow to do “whatever it takes” to find them
AN air and sea search for three Western Australian men has been called off as mystery continues to surround their disappearance from a yacht found abandoned off north Queensland.
Police say skipper Des Batten, 56, and brothers Peter and James Tunstead, aged 69 and 63, all from Perth, were believed to have gone missing from their 9.8m catamaran, KAZ II, last Sunday.
The yacht was found unmanned and adrift on Wednesday about 160km off Townsville after leaving Shute Harbour at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays on Sunday morning.
The men had intended to sail the catamaran back to Western Australia.
When it was boarded, its engine was still running, a laptop computer was found switched on and navigational equipment and plotting gear laid out.
The men’s clothes were found folded in neat piles on the rear deck, as if they had gone swimming. The only sign of damage was a shredded sail.
One theory is the men fell overboard in rough seas.
Another is that another vessel came alongside and they boarded it, either willingly or unwillingly, as if they had been attacked by pirates.
But Detective Inspector Warren Webber of Townsville police said just because the yacht’s rubber fenders had been put over the side, did not necessarily mean the crew were preparing for another vessel to pull up next to it.
“I know that some people have speculated that means another craft has come alongside,” Inspector Webber said.
“But I’m told it’s not unusual for some small craft people not to take the fenders in. It’s not unknown for them to be left out.”
Insp Webber said the search was suspended yesterday afternoon but craft in the area had been asked to report anything they see which may be of interest to police.
“Obviously, if they do, the search can be reinstated,” Insp Webber said.
But he said there was little hope of finding the three men alive.
“Unfortunately, the medical advice that we have received is that it is unlikely the three men could have survived in the water for this period of time,” he said.
“It’s certainly very unusual and it’s obviously very tragic for the families and for those involved.
“It seems very unlikely we will be able to say exactly just what has occurred at this point in time.”
The KAZ II, now in Townsville, will be sailed back to Western Australia.
In the meantime, Jim Tunstead’s sons Grant and Shane have made the journey from WA to be with their brother-in-law Paul Grey who has also flown to Townsville.
Shane Webber said he would “do whatever it takes” to find the missing men but Insp Webber said he did not know if the men had intended to mount a search of their own.
Nice tone. You're a real credit to this forum.
Leni
Understandable, it can get a person killed in a Kerst venue of operations.
Actually I kind of like Kerst and his style.
Something is telling me it has something to do with a chinese sub, either they came across one and the chinese got paranoid and took them off or sent them to Davy Jones locker. But that does leave a question as to why its still floating. I wonder if it was some sort of possibly a murder suicide deal? if it was a drug deal gone sour there probably would not have been a boat left as evidence. And pirates would take the whole boat, repaint it and sell it, or scuttle it after stripping it.
Thinking of the fact that they had first off dinner set out and the computer running means they were interrupted, engines running means the were maneuvering to something or holding station, the torn sail? it is the one thing out of place, if it was blown out by a freak wind or a rogue wave then the boat would have had some damage, my summary is that they saw something that was either illegal or secretive and they may be still alive as prisoners or until say a certain operation is done. I would not rule out a friendly just taking precautions if they were witness to something top secret. It may possibly be just a stupid thing as all three going swimming but that doesn’t make sense. Swimming in Australian waters is a dangerous thing, very deadly denizens.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.