Kaz II, called "the ghost yacht," is a 9.8-meter catamaran that was discovered floating 88 nautical miles (163 kilometers) from the northeastern coast of Australia on April 20, 2007. The three people on board are still missing, and the unexplained events surrounding their disappearance have been compared to those of the Mary Celeste in 1872.
Crew
Kaz II had three crew members, all of whom lived in Perth, Western Australia: Derek Batten (56), Peter Tunstead (69), and James Tunstead (63). The three men had some sailing experience but were not very experienced. The skipper, Batten, took a sailing class and made two long trips on Kaz II around the Whitsunday Islands and the outer reef.
Disappearance of crew
According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the boat Kaz II left Airlie Beach on April 15, 2007, and was traveling toward Townsville, Queensland, as part of a trip planned to go around Northern Australia and reach Western Australia. The first sign of a problem occurred on April 18, when a helicopter saw Kaz II floating in the area near the Great Barrier Reef and reported that the crew might be in trouble. On April 20, maritime officials reached the boat and boarded it. They discovered that the three-person crew was missing, and the situation was described as unusual.
Jon Hall, from Queensland’s Emergency Management Office, said, “What they found was a bit strange in that everything was normal; there was just no sign of the crew.”
On the day of the boarding, officials from the Queensland Emergency Management Office stated that the boat was in good working condition and arranged as if the crew were still on board. Food and utensils were placed on the table, a laptop computer was turned on, and the engine was still running. Officials confirmed that the boat’s emergency systems, including the radio and GPS, were fully working, and the boat had its full set of life jackets. A small boat was still attached to the back of Kaz II, and the anchor was raised. The only unusual details, aside from the missing crew, were that one of the boat’s sails was torn, and there was no life raft on board (it is unclear if a life raft was ever present).
Forensic examination
On Friday, April 20, the ship Kaz II was moved into the Townsville port for a careful inspection. On April 21, Sergeants Bardell and Molloy from the Queensland Police searched the ship for signs of criminal activity or involvement by others. No evidence of this was found. The cabin was clean, except for some magazines, a newspaper, and a wine container that were on the floor. It was later discovered that these items fell to the floor while the ship was being moved to shore. In the sink, a few butter knives were found, and on a bench in the kitchen area, a plastic case containing fishing knives was discovered. These items did not appear to have been used recently. Under Batten's bed, in a sealed container, investigators found a firearm and some ammunition, none of which was missing. In a drawer, they found one additional bullet of the same type.
After reviewing GPS data from Kaz II, police reported that on the morning of its departure from Airlie Beach, the ship was directed northeast into an area with strong winds and rough seas. Later that same day, in the afternoon, the GPS data showed the ship was floating without movement. Investigators also recovered a video recording taken by the crew during their trip, which provided some clues about the men’s final day. The last footage, recorded by James Tunstead on April 15 at 10:05 AM, shortly before the men disappeared, showed, among other things:
Search
Search and rescue efforts started on Wednesday, 18 April. Australian search and rescue team AusSAR sent a Navy aircraft to look for the missing men near the ship. At the same time, Bowen Voluntary Marine Rescue began searching the coast and nearby islands. During the night, an aircraft with heat-sensing technology was used to search the reefs and small islands. The next day, a large search-and-rescue operation began. It included Volunteer Rescue Units from multiple towns, Townsville's coast guard, two rescue helicopters, nine airplanes, and two commercial ships. Information from the GPS system of the Kaz II was collected and studied to help focus the search area.
Dr. Paul Luckin, an expert in survival time, was asked for his opinion. He said it was unlikely the men were alive if they were still in the water, as they probably went overboard three to four days earlier. The teams still hoped the men might have reached land and continued searching until 4:00 P.M. on 21 April, when the air and sea search for the three crew members was stopped. Another search along the coastline began on Monday, 23 April, after new information was received. However, this search did not find the men and was stopped on 25 April.
Official investigation
On August 4, 2008, an inquest into the men’s disappearance began in the Townsville Coroner’s Court. The inquest was led by Queensland state coroner Michael Barnes. It focused on whether the men were dead, what happened during their disappearance, and if the search for them was thorough enough. In total, 27 witnesses were called to give testimony. Some of them had seen the ship during its final voyage and helped authorities understand the events that happened.
During one hearing, Jennifer Batten testified that her husband, Derek, was well prepared. He had taken the boat, Kaz II, on two trips before without problems. Jennifer also said the original plan was for Derek and her to sail Kaz II to Fremantle together. However, Derek worried that two people on the boat might not be safe. He decided to take his neighbors, brothers Peter and James Tunstead, instead. The trip was planned over several months, and they discussed it daily while using a computer to plan their routes. Jennifer said they allowed themselves six to eight weeks to return to Fremantle. She explained that because Derek and Peter were retired, the time they took did not matter. They planned to avoid sailing at night for safety and to stay close to the shore. Although Derek had health issues, including high cholesterol, mild diabetes, and a heart attack at age 50, Jennifer believed he was fit enough for the journey.
Graeme Douglas, the previous owner of Kaz II, testified that the boat was in good condition when he sold it to Derek. He met the men the night before they set sail and helped them plan part of their route. He was surprised to learn that, according to police, the men had deviated from their planned route, which was programmed into their GPS system.
Gavin Howland, the skipper of the fishing vessel Jillian, testified that on April 16, 2007, while fishing near Bowen, he saw a white yacht with a torn sail drifting between reefs. The boat was moving slowly, about 5.6 km/h, in a north-northeast direction with the current. He came within 50 meters of the boat but saw no one on board. This sighting happened two days before the coast guard found Kaz II drifting off the coast of Townsville and the day after authorities believed the men went missing. Howland said he found it strange that a sailboat was in an area known for shallow water and rocks. He did not try to contact the boat or authorities, explaining that he had a rule of not approaching other vessels.
Sergeant Paul Molloy, one of the forensic police officers who examined Kaz II after it was brought back to shore in April 2007, said he did not believe foul play occurred. He spent several hours searching the boat for signs of a struggle but found no evidence that anyone other than the three men on board had been present. He told the inquest that the boat was not a crime scene. When asked why the police did not check for fingerprints, Molloy said his experience told him it was unnecessary. He explained that the police thoroughly examined the boat and found nothing suspicious.
Detective Sergeant Graham Patch said the police found a video recorder inside the boat. The video showed footage taken by the three men on the morning they disappeared. As the video was shown in court, Patch explained that the land seen in the footage helped officials narrow the search area for the missing crew.
State coroner Barnes admitted in his report that he could not be certain about the exact circumstances of the men’s deaths. However, based on witness accounts, the video, and the condition of the boat, the report proposed the following:
On April 15, 2007, at 10:05 A.M., Kaz II was sailing near George Point. Everything was going as planned. However, in the next hour, things changed suddenly. The men tied up the white rope trailing behind the boat and stored it on the foredeck, possibly to dry. James Tunstead then removed his T-shirt and glasses and placed them on the backseat. The report suggests that one of the men may have tried to free a fishing lure that was tangled in the boat’s rudder and fell overboard. Standing on the boat’s 'sugar scoop' platform (a platform near the waterline at the back of the boat) while moving is dangerous. Falling overboard would be easy, and getting back on the boat would be nearly impossible. One of the other men may have tried to rescue James, while Derek, still on board, started the motor and realized he had to drop the sails before he could return for his friends.
As Derek left the helm to drop the sails, a change in the boat’s course or wind direction could have caused a jibe, swinging the boom across the deck and knocking Derek overboard. This could have happened before he could throw out a life ring to his friends. A blue coffee mug found near the life ring may support this. Since the boat was moving at 15 kn (28 km/h), the men would have been out of reach within seconds.
The report states that after this, the men likely did not survive. None of them were strong swimmers, and the sea was rough. The men would have quickly become tired and drowned. The report ruled out foul play and a staged disappearance.
Other explanations
Several possible reasons have been suggested for the crew's disappearance.
Authorities in Townsville reported that the weather was windy and the sea was rough between the time Kaz II left port and when it was found drifting. This led them to think the crew might have faced a sudden problem during the rough weather and fallen overboard. However, one issue with this idea is that the cabin’s contents, such as a table, showed no signs of being disturbed. Family members of the missing men said the boat’s condition made this unlikely. They pointed out that the men’s fishing lines and laundry were set out, and their life jackets were still stored, suggesting the weather was calm when they disappeared.
It was also noted that Kaz II was found with its fenders out, leading to a theory that the boat might have docked with another unknown vessel, and the crew may have transferred to it willingly or unwillingly. Townsville police responded that small boats often leave fenders out at all times, so this detail cannot confirm anything for sure. The Coroner’s report mentioned that an eyewitness and video evidence showed the fenders were already out when the boat left the marina.
Batten had purchased Kaz II a year earlier and sailed it a few times since then. The Tunsteads were not unfamiliar with sailing, as they had sailed together since they were 18 years old and even worked in the radio rooms of the Volunteer Sea Rescue. The last known contact between the crew and their families was one and a half hours after the boat left port, when one crew member spoke to his wife.
Volunteer radio operator Ivan Ormes recorded that Kaz II radioed in at 6:45 P.M. on April 15, the evening of their departure, stating its location as George Point. This was the last known communication with Kaz II. Ms. Grey noted that it should have taken only two and a half hours to reach George Point, but it was unclear why it took so long. One possibility is that the crew spent the day fishing. Another is that they had GPS problems, as they had tried to leave on April 14 but had to return due to a non-working GPS. This issue was caused by a user error and was quickly fixed, so Kaz II departed early the next day.
Other ideas include the boat becoming stuck on a sandbar near George Point. If the men jumped overboard to push the boat free, a sudden wind might have blown the boat away, leaving them stranded. This could explain why towels were left on the deck. Another possibility is that one crew member was washed overboard by a large wave, and the others were lost trying to rescue him. A waterspout could also be a cause. Waterspouts are common in that area of Australia in April and can occur just offshore, where Kaz II was located. They have enough power to tear a sail, throw crew members off the deck, or pull a life raft out, activating its release mechanism. All this could happen without the boat ever experiencing rough seas.