Harbourmaster: Missing yachtie should not have sailed

Rescuers return from the search for Malcolm Widdilove. Photo / Northern Advocate

The elderly yachtie presumed drowned off the Far North should not have gone to sea because his boat was poorly maintained and probably unseaworthy, marine experts say.

The missing yachtie, 77-year-old Malcolm Widdilove, had also been rescued twice by the coastguard in the past few years off Cape Reinga in the Far North.

His 7.6m wooden yacht, Boadicea, was found sunk near Tapotupotu Bay, east of Cape Reinga in the Far North last week.

Police called off the search for Mr Widdilove yesterday, saying the yacht was not made for offshore sailing.

Mr Widdilove was believed to have left Opua, in the Bay of Islands, where he had been living on his yacht. He was apparently heading for Norfolk Island.

He did not tell the Coastguard of his trip, nor did he get customs and immigration clearance to enter Australian waters, said police.

However, Northland regional harbourmaster Jim Lyle said the yacht was badly maintained and probably not seaworthy.

It had a Landrover top to fitted to the hull as a cabin.

"It was quite a small yacht, pretty old and not particularly well maintained."

He said it was "pretty crazy" for Mr Widdilove to have headed for Norfolk Island.

"There wasn't too much chance of him getting there given the state of that boat and what had happened before."

He was rescued by commercial boat in April, 2008, 64km northwest of Cape Reinga when his only communication equipment was a hand-held radio. His second rescue was in June, 2009.

Mr Widdilove was an "eccentric and a bit of an oddball", Mr Lyle said.

"It was not the ideal seagoing boat.

"We were surprised he had headed off on his boat. He goes abroad quite often but leaves his boat there so we were quite surprised he had tried to head off on his boat.

"He wasn't an expert seaman, I would say."

Mr Lyle said had they known he was heading off on a sea voyage, he and Maritime New Zealand would probably have stopped him because of the state of his boat.

The yacht was understood to have had a VHF radio, lifejacket and flares but no emergency locator beacon.

- NZPA