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BRISBANE - Emergency crews say there is little hope that three West Australian men who went missing from their yacht off the north Queensland coast a week ago are still alive.
Police believe skipper Des Batten, 56, and brothers Peter and James Tunstead, aged 69 and 63, all from Perth, went missing from their 9.8m catamaran, KAZ II, last Sunday.
The vessel was found abandoned, floating about 160km off the Queensland coast on Wednesday.
Police believe the men struck bad weather on Sunday and may have been washed overboard.
The head of CQ Rescue, Phil Dowler, said he did not hold out much hope of finding the men alive.
"Unfortunately after now, it's supposedly almost a week since they've gone missing. (It's) quite difficult to survive without adequate food or water," he told ABC radio.
The case has baffled rescuers who found the ghost yacht with its computers still running and other goods untouched, including food and utensils on the table.
The yacht, which had a badly torn sail, was found with its motor still running, while the vessel's dinghy remained attached.
Mr Dowler said rescue crews would resume their search for the men in Airlie Beach today.
Forensic experts combed the yacht yesterday but found little to explain the men's disappearance.
Theories
Theories as to what happened to skipper Derek Batten, 56, and brothers Peter and James Tunstead, aged 69 and 63, abounded yesterday as yachties pondered the mysteries of the "ghost yacht".
There were only minor signs of trouble on board - a ripped sail and a marine radio that wasn't working. Experts remain baffled as to why the yacht's fenders, which are generally used when another vessel pulls alongside, were down.
The three men, all from Perth, set sail last Sunday from Airlie Beach and were heading for their home town via the top end of Australia.
When rescuer Corrie Benson boarded the yacht, he was confronted by an "eerie" scene. "I went down to the eating area and sitting on the table was two laptops that were both on, a Sunday paper, a video camera, mobile phones, wallets, watches, the beds had been slept in, there was medication, clothes," he told the Townsville Bulletin. "One thing that was especially odd was that everything was still on the table, so they mustn't have gone through any bad weather."
Northern Region Chief Superintendent Roy Wall said it appeared the catamaran may have been heading towards rough seas.
Grant Tunstead, the son of one of the missing men, said he last spoke to his father half an hour before they were due to sail last week. He and his brother are now helping search.
- AAP / AGENCIES
