A maritime mystery harking back to the Mary Celeste is ongoing in Australia.
An air-and-sea search was under way yesterday after a yacht was found drifting, Mary Celeste-style, off the Great Barrier Reef with its engine running and food laid out but no one on board.
It was spotted by a customs helicopter 80 nautical miles off Townsville in Queensland, complete with life jackets and emergency beacons and with a laptop turned on.
But there was no sign of the three middle-aged crew who had set sail in the 40ft catamaran from Airlie Beach, Queensland, on Sunday.
“The table was actually set for a meal with food and cutlery in place,” said Jon Hall of Emergency Management Queensland.
“It looked like the boat had been recently abandoned.
“The radio was working, the GPS was working and things below deck were normal except for the absence of crew,” Mr Hall said.
The search has been called off and there are a number of theories for the disappearance – the last one being the most ominous:
Theory one
The Kaz II sailed into stormy weather. Crew washed overboard in rising seas.
Theory two
One crew member fell overboard or went swimming in calm seas. The other two crew members drowned while attempting a rescue.
Theory three
All three crew taken by sharks while swimming.
Theory four
Rogue vessel came alongside and kidnapped crew of Kaz II.
2 Comments
April 23, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Interesting article. I guess we could say it became sort of a ghost ship to find no one aboard. Or perhaps some strange occurrence like what takes place at the Bermuda Triangle? Hmm, ones mind could really wander on this one!
BTW, I’ve been meaning to stop by here and thank you for linking to my blog. Now that I’m thinking of it again, I need to go add a link to you to return the favor!
Thank you again!
April 23, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Thanks too for the inspiration for a new post on my blog too! The word “catamaran” in your post here triggered a memory, and I realized I had a new post to write!
Your link has also been added into my sidebar, as well as from the new post I just published!