THREE men who disappeared from a yacht off the north Queensland coast last April would have already been dead by the time a massive search was launched to find them, an inquest has heard.
Des Batten, 56, and Peter and Jim Tunstead, 69 and 63, were on a trip of a lifetime sailing from Airlie Beach, around the top of Australia to Perth when they mysteriously disappeared last April.
Authorities launched a search involving up to 10 aircraft on April 20 after finding their yacht, the Kaz II, drifting unoccupied about 88 nautical miles off the coast of Townsville.
However, one of the Townsville water police officers involved in coordinating the search today told an inquest into the men`s disappearance that authorities believed they were already dead.
Senior Constable Jason Jesse said it was believed the men had disappeared on April 15 and survival expert Dr Paul Luckin had placed the likelihood of them surviving five days at sea without life jackets at nil.
However, Snr Const Jesse said authorities had not launched a search when a Coastwatch aircraft first reported seeing the Kaz II on April 18 with a ripped sail because there were indications the vessel might not be in distress.
He said the yacht was drifting east against the wind at about two knots, an unlikely occurrence without someone steering the vessel.
"It was my opinion that with any vessel heading into the wind, it was a good possibility there was no distress," he said.
The inquest, before Queensland state coroner Michael Barnes, is expected to hear its final witnesses this afternoon.
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