An Australian millionaire and his crew have been fined more than $17,146 (A$16,000) by police after he used a superyacht to escape to the Gold Coast from Covid-hit Sydney.
Jeromy Young, 44, the founder and director of video tech company Atomos, was caught just days after he docked his 34-metre, A$4 million superyacht Dreamtime at Southport Marina last week.
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) manager Angus Mitchell said Young, his personal assistant, the skipper and an engineer had provided "false and misleading information" on their declaration cards to access the Gold Coast marina on July 7.
"The message is clear, if you have been in a Covid-19 hotspot and you cross our maritime border, you will be intercepted and face the consequences," he said in a statement.
Young is accused of arriving on the Gold Coast on July 7 before immediately travelling up to Brisbane to watch the Wallabies versus France rugby game that night.
He attended the game with 17,000 other spectators at Suncorp Stadium.
Thankfully, Young and the three other people on the yacht have tested negative for coronavirus.
Mitchell reminded any boat owners that MSQ was cracking down hard on border breaches.
"MSQ has a full-time, on-water presence, patrolling our maritime borders and keeping Queenslanders safe," he said.
"It is carrying out targeted intelligence-based and random vessel intercepts, assisted by the Queensland Water Police.
"As of July 1, 2021, anyone who provides false or misleading information or breaches the directions can expect an on-the-spot fine of more than $4000, a court-imposed penalty of up to $13,785 or six months' imprisonment."
Young wasn't the first boat owner bust by Queensland authorities last week.
Mitchell said MSQ had fined two other skippers, both of whom had arrived on the Gold Coast from Sydney.
A 68-year-old skipper was placed in government hotel quarantine and issued with a A$4003 fine for failing to comply with a Covid-19 border direction, while another skipper was fined A$4003 and turned around at the border.
