Items recovered in missing yacht search

The crew of the schooner Nina were last heard from on July 4.

Searchers are unsure of the source of two plastic containers, found today in the hunt for the missing yacht Nina.

A Kiwi Air plane based on Norfolk Island spent all of today searching an area to the west of the island.

"Two 20-litre plastic containers have been located in the search area but its not confirmed that they are from the Nina,'' search spokesman John Funnell said.

"They could be from the Nina or they could just as easily be from something else.''

Hope for the missing 85-year-old vessel, whose crew were last heard from on June 4, was renewed when recent satellite images captured an orange object, possibly a liferaft, similar to the one the Nina carried.

The new search started on Monday.

Family and friends of the seven missing crew members have been fundraising to keep the search alive after the official operation ended on July 4.

It was hoped more funding will come through tomorrow.

Mr Funnell said it would be confirmed in the morning whether the extra funding had come through, meaning further searching could go ahead.

"It costs about $20,000 a day,'' he said.

Nina left the Bay of Islands on May 29 and was headed for Newcastle, Australia. It is owned by professional captain David Dyche III, 58, and his wife, Rosemary, 60. They were on board with son David Dyche jnr, 17, and fellow Americans Evi Nemeth, 73, Kyle Jackson, 27, and 18-year-old Danielle Wright. Also on board was Briton Matthew Wootton, 35.