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BRISBANE - Rescuers were today trying to solve the mystery of a yacht found floating off the Queensland coast with food on a table ready to eat and computers running, but no crew.
A massive search has been launched for three men from Perth missing from the 12-metre catamaran, KAZ 11.
Police said the men, aged 56, 63 and 69, were believed to have left Airlie Beach on their 12-metre catamaran on Sunday and were headed to Western Australia.
The catamaran was first spotted by a coastwatch aircraft on Wednesday near the outer Great Barrier Reef.
A rescue helicopter identified the yacht overnight and confirmed there was no one aboard.
Emergency Management Queensland spokesman Jon Hall said crews who boarded the yacht were puzzled by what they found because "everything appeared normal".
"They got on board and said the engine was running, the computers were running, there was a laptop set up on the table which was running, the radio was working, the GPS was working and there was food and utensils set on the table ready to eat, but no sign of the crew," he said.
"It was a bit strange."
Three life jackets and survival equipment, including an emergency beacon, were found on board, but no life rafts.
Mr Hall said emergency crews returned to the boat this morning, around 160km east of Townsville, to check if anyone was trapped inside.
He said they retrieved the boat's GPS system to analyse data for clues to the mysterious disappearance of the crew.
"That will now enable us to track backwards where this yacht has actually been in the last few days, and we're hoping that can pin point the search area for the missing crew," he said.
Emergency workers have also retrieved computers, diaries and charts.
The boat is now being towed to Townsville for closer inspection.
"It seems very unusual," north Queensland police Chief Superintendent Roy Wall told reporters in Townsville.
"The weather on Sunday, Monday wasn't too good -- there was a fair sort of a wind blowing out there.
"But it's improved since then, so who knows what could have happened."
Seven aircraft were searching the vicinity for the three men this afternoon.
Their families were being kept informed of search efforts.
- AAP
