By JOLENE OGLE
A YACHT that capsized at the treacherous Noosa River mouth on Monday night 12 October has been seized by Border Protection and taken to Brisbane for investigation.
The yacht had sailed from Mexico in what was a six-month trans-Pacific voyage, with Noosa set to be its final destination.
Two men were on board the vessel at the time it capsized and the local coast guard said they were not contacted prior to the crew attempting to cross the Noosa River mouth.
A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said the department has detained and moved the vessel to Brisbane for further investigation under the Maritime Powers Act 2013.
The spokesman said further details could not be revealed due to the ongoing investigation and it was unclear if any charges have been laid.
According to North Shore resident Robert Cleveland, who saw the drama unfold on Monday evening, the vessel could have been saved but would-be saviours weren’t given the “go ahead” by the crew.
“(My friend and I) went out first thing in the morning because we’ve rescued boats before,” he said. “We tried to explain how to save the boat but they (the crew) seemed nonchalant about it.”
The yacht’s mast and keel broke off before the vessel was dragged to shore by Clayton’s Towing and then removed from the sand by a crane on Wednesday morning.
