Rescue officer testifies at missing yacht trio inquest
Posted
The inquest into the disappearance of three men from a yacht sailing off north Queensland has heard evidence from the rescue officer who was the first person to board the catamaran.
Skipper Des Batten and brothers Peter and Jim Tunstead set sail from Airlie Beach bound for Perth in mid-April last year.
The Kaz II catamaran was found drifting off Townsville, four days after their departure, with no sign of the three men.
Corrie Benson, the first rescue officer to board the Kaz II, has told a Townsville coronial inques that he found the engine going, items of clothing, a fishing rod, a half-full coffee cup and three beds that looked slept in but no sign of the men.
The inquest heard Mr Benson initially thought there may have been a scuffle after finding an empty bottle of alcohol in the hallway but he told the inquiry he has since discounted that theory.
