Luxury yacht fling ends in the dock

MELBOURNE - The man accused of the daring theft of a A$350,000 ($385,000) luxury yacht has been charged along with his wife over a cache of stolen goods that included boats and a car.

David Appleby, 39, and his wife Bettina, 43, both of Rye on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, face a series of theft and handling stolen goods charges.

The charges were laid after Rosebud detectives seized goods at a privately rented factory at Mordialloc, in Melbourne's south, yesterday.

Detective Senior Constable Deb Seymour said goods seized included a "barely driven" 1992 Mazda MX6 car, a personal watercraft, a Fight Craft ski boat, a Haynes Signature speedboat, an aluminium runabout, three rifles, a handgun, a pump-action shotgun and a number of televisions.

Senior Constable Seymour said the items were alleged to have been stolen from various parts of Victoria over the past five years.

Appleby is charged with the theft of the A$350,000 yacht Premier Cru, co-owned by Melbourne businessman Philip Murphy.

The yacht was stolen from its mooring at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron on the Mornington Peninsula and was discovered missing by Murphy on January 31.

The yacht was sailed across Bass Strait last week through one of the worst storms to hit south-eastern Australia and was found anchored off the Tasmanian town of Port Sorell on February 2.

Appleby walked into a police station at Moorabbin, in Melbourne's south, on Wednesday.

He was charged with two counts of theft - one over the alleged yacht theft and the other for an unrelated bobcat theft in July last year, as well as two counts of handling stolen goods and one of possessing the proceeds of crime in relation to the yacht.

The Applebys will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

- AAP