17 years ago, The Kaz II set sail out on a trip to Western Australia. But – they never made it. A few days later, it was spotted adrift. When maritime authorities investigated the boat, they found that it was in serviceable condition, but the crew disappeared. One of the greatest sailing mysteries.
Posted by LeadDistinctt
2 Comments
The simplest explanation is that somebody forgot to drop the anchor when they were out for a swim. That or a giant octopus was pissed that we keep eating his pals.
The Queensland coroner’s ruling that it happened before lunch on the first day of their trip is at odds with what Corrie Bensen observed when he boarded the vessel. The beds had been slept in. The coroner ruled that a “man overboard” accident might have been precipitated by one of the three on board attempting to untangle a fishing line caught on a propellor, but that also might have happened while the catamaran was adrift.
That said, while the coroner’s report doesn’t definitively answer the question of “what happened”, I think he was on the right track. This was likely a calamitous accident that happened to three men with very little sailing experience. Maybe the fishing line theory is true, or maybe they beached the catamaran on a sand bar, and left the boat to free it, only to find themselves unable to get back on board. (The swimming ladder was folded up). I think the least likely scenario is a pirate encounter, but even that can’t be ruled out completely. Still, their inexperience and the fact they seemed nervous about the trip stand out as red flags for the probable cause of what happened.