Yachtsmen stili missing

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 3

Yachtsmen stili missing

By

TONY SMITH

Extensive sea searches yesterday failed to find two Nelson yachtsmen whose upturned craft was found on a rocky beach near Cape Soucis on Wednesday.

The boat set out from Nelson on March 7 for) a five-day voyage through the Marlborough Sounds. After Mr ( Bowman failed to return home last week-end a [ concerned neighbour alerted the police. A pilot and friend of qir Bowman, Mr Peter Trewavas, spotted the boat on a beach near Cape Soucis bn. Wednesday. There was no sign [of the crew. Two lifejackets were the only; items missing from the yacht. I Sergeant Homan said) a police party in a helicdp- : ter spent several hours yesterday ' scouring the Cape Soucis, French Pass and Croisilles Harbq'ur areas for any trace of the missing men. I . The Nelson Coastguard

i Sergeant Bil Homan, the search cq-ordinator for the Nelson police, said [a shoreline j search would ibe made today 1 , concen'trating on the Whangarae (Bay area, (just south of {Cape Soucis. . I ■ The two crew members [of the 6.4! trailer-sailer (Canopus, Mr Rob Bowjman, aged) 29,1 and Mr {Alan Horreli, aged 24, are (missing ) presumed drowned. 1 ) j Police believe the yacht probably struck problems ih high winds on March 9. some time | after making radio contact for the last time with ,a resident in ■ Okiwi Bay.(The Canopus had left Croisilles Harbour at 8.30; a.m. that day. intending to catch the middav tide ( through French Pass, [

checked the; seas between Nelson and’ Pepin Island and [the Fifeshire Beach rescue service searched from Nelsonj to Mapua. A [ Motueka Coastguard vessel and ( the Abel Tasman! National Park tourist ferry Waingaro searched the western side of Tasman! Bay!; as . far as Awaroa. ’ Sergeant, Homan said a shore search would be made after low tide today and ! the< Coastguard and Fifeshire Beach rescue boats, would continue to scour thb shoreline during the Week-end. The Canopus yesterday was I still) on the beach at) Cape Sojucis. It had been broken up by wave action) I. over the) last few tides andi ! was! unsalvable, Sergeant; Homan said.