April 20

Mary Celeste Redux?

Kaz II via CanadianContent

On 20 April, 2007, Australian authorities boarded a 9.8 meter catamaran off the northern coast. The boat, soon to be dubbed "the ghost yacht" by the press, had been spotted drifting with no sign of the crew on April 18 by a helicopter whose pilot reported it. Those who boarded the catamaran found everything normal and in order, just with no sign of the crew or what may have happened to them.

The yacht was named Kaz II, and not unlike the Mary Celeste, created a sensational mystery. It's condition when found was like a snapshot of daily life aboard. Food was set out on the table. A laptop was open and turned on. Although there were large tears in the sail, the engine was on and running. All the boat's systems, radio, GPS, etc. were fully functional. There just wasn't a crew.

Authorities quickly discovered the Kaz II had been crewed by her owner Derek Batten and his neighbors, brothers James and Peter Tunstead. Batten was a sailor with long experience and very safety minded, as were the Tunstead brothers. Forensic investigators found no signs of foul play. So what could have happened?

The Kaz II had left port early on April 15. Late that afternoon the yacht's GPS system showed her to be adrift. A video tape of footage taken by the crew and found on board had a date/time stamp for 10:00 am on the 15th, so it's fairly obvious the three men disappeared on their first day out.

The crew of the Kaz II via brisbanetimes

The coroner in charge of the inquest proposes a series of accidents based on conditions as seen on the tape. The seas were choppy and none of the men were wearing a life vest. Tunstead is seen fishing from the stern. Since a fishing line was found tangled in the propeller, the coroner proposed that one of the crew went overboard while trying to free it. Another, trying to help, either purposely or accidentally went overboard after the first man. Batten, who, on the tape, was at the helm, started the engine to come about and pick the others up, but then realized he would first have to drop the sail. When trying to do this the boom shifted, knocking him overboard, and the three were unable to catch and reboard the catamaran, which drifted away. While this is entirely possible and even plausible, it does seem to rely on a string of coincidences that are not entirely likely.

Other explanations include the yacht being stuck on a sandbar and the three being lost while trying to free it. Or a freak wave taking one of the crew and the others being lost while trying to rescue him. Or the possibility of the crew being taken off by another vessel. But to what purpose? And why not take the boat as well? Police ruled out a staged disappearance.

What happened is unlikely ever to be known. But at some point some critical happenstance struck the Kaz II, and her crew, unfortunately have joined the ranks of those who vanished at sea.