Missing Catamaran Nautitech Open 40 - Pina Colada

[Piscis]

The Catamaran "Pina Colada" a 2015 Nautitech Open 40 Charter boat did not return from a charter by the end of july.

The base of the charter boat is the Yacht Haven Marina located in the north east of Phuket, Thailand.

I just talked to the fleet manager of the Charter Company. I chartered the boat from july 24th, but it did not return from its previous charter, so i got a more than adequate replacement Lagoon 450.

The weather situation in the past three to four weeks where very challenging in this area with a strong S/W monsoon, heavy winds and strong swells.

A few boats operated by local speedboat and transport companies are already lost with a death toll of approximately 50 passengers - many of them obviously chinesse day trip tourists.

It is not clear of the whereabout of "Pina Coloada". The boat was chartered for 2 weeks and was supposed to return to Yacht Haven Marina at 21st of july 2018.

For the time beeing the boat is considered "missing". It is not clear if the boat was stolen, sunk or something else happened to the charter crew that made it impossible for them to return the boat.

All this information is first hand from the fleet manager of the charter company who runs the boat - he agreed to post this information here. At the time he is struggeling with local authorities, insurance companies and the owner of the boat...

Lets see what happened here....

[teneicm]

Just saw something on the SE Asia Cruising pages on Facebook that this boat has just now turned up in Darwin and is in police "custody". Would like getting further details if anyone knows the full story....

[Piscis]

Mmhhh. That is interesting.

The fleet manager told me that the guy who rented the boat is australian. So i guess no "distress and disaster" thread, more a "i forgott to bring that boat back" thread ...

[Piscis]

OK, i just talked to the fleet manager again.

That is really a funny story. The australian guys who chartered the boat did have some problems with the police in Thailand. As far as he knows, one of the guys had to give his passport to the immigration, so he could not leave Thailand on a regular basis.

It looks like one of the guys was charged with some kind of criminal activities and the chance was high he could be sent to jail.

So they might prefered imprisonment in australia over Thai jails....

The boat seems to be in good conditions. The fleet manager himself will fly to Darwin to inspect the boat and will sail it back to Phuket with a small crew by himself.

Too bad i am out of Thailand at the moment. I would love to join him on that trip....

[StuM]

NT News:


AN Aussie fugitive on the run from Thai authorities made a daring, ultimately successful bid for freedom by sailing a luxury catamaran on through the pirate-infested waters of Southeast Asia to Darwin.
Owen Van Duren, 37, appeared in Sydney’s Central Local Court on Friday following his extradition from the Northern Territory in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Van Duren was arrested when he arrived in Darwin last Sunday, more than six weeks after fleeing Thailand with the help of his ex-special forces brother.
Van Duren, who has no fixed Australian address, had been behind bars in a Thai jail for at least six months accused of being involved in the brutal assault of two airline hostesses midflight between Bangkok and Sydney in August last year, but was recently on bail pending an appeal.
He had also been charged in Australia with assaulting aircrew and a warrant for his arrest was issued while he was overseas.
Commonwealth prosecutors on Friday withdrew the charges in Sydney, making Van Duren a free man on dry land.
The NT News understands the Thai prosecution prevented Australian authorities from also prosecuting him.
The Thai embassy in Canberra did not respond to questions yesterday about whether Van Duren might be extradited back to Thailand.
Van Duren and his older brother, Shane Van Duren, 43, of Canberra, were reported missing in Thailand on July 21 after the 40ft catamaran they chartered, the Pina Colada, was not returned to the Yacht Haven Marina northeast of Phuket.
A source close to the yacht’s owner told the NT News an insurance claim was on the cusp
of being approved after authorities believed the Van Duren brothers either sank in monsoonal storms or met with misadventure off the Thai Coast, where boats have been targeted by local pirates.
“It (was) not clear if the boat was stolen, sunk or something else happened to the charter crew,” the source said.
A Border Force spokesman said the agency had been tracking the catamaran for more than a fortnight before it arrived in Darwin.
“The vessel in question may have been stolen,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Documents filed in the Central Local Court show Commonwealth prosecutors had planned to allege Owen Van Duren assaulted the two crew members on Thai Airways flight TG475 on August 3 last year.
The epic voyage to freedom in Australia and the questionable use of the catamaran could pose strife for the older Van Duren brother, who is on a suspended sentence.
Shane Van Duren was last year handed a suspended sentence in the ACT Supreme Court after pleading guilty to punching an RSPCA inspector and strangling and threatening to kill another during a dispute over his therapy dog.
The dog had been given to him to help him recover from PTSD, which was reportedly a result of his service in the Australian Army and French Foreign Legion.
Chief Justice Helen Murrell, in handing the older Van Duren brother a two-and-ahalf year suspended sentence last year said his friends vouched for him as a “calm, gentle and positive person”.
“Generally, the offender is on a positive trajectory,” Chief Justice Murell said at the time.
Owen Van Duren did not respond to attempts to contact him through his Sydney lawyer, and Shane Van Duren could not be reached for comment.

[Seaadventurers]

Is it just me, or is this article very confusing?? So there was a crew on board the charter boat and they are missing?? So the boat was never found and may have sunk off the coast of Thailand? If so, how did they make it to Australia?

Originally Posted by StuM

NT News:


AN Aussie fugitive on the run from Thai authorities made a daring, ultimately successful bid for freedom by sailing a luxury catamaran on through the pirate-infested waters of Southeast Asia to Darwin.
Owen Van Duren, 37, appeared in Sydney’s Central Local Court on Friday following his extradition from the Northern Territory in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Van Duren was arrested when he arrived in Darwin last Sunday, more than six weeks after fleeing Thailand with the help of his ex-special forces brother.
Van Duren, who has no fixed Australian address, had been behind bars in a Thai jail for at least six months accused of being involved in the brutal assault of two airline hostesses midflight between Bangkok and Sydney in August last year, but was recently on bail pending an appeal.
He had also been charged in Australia with assaulting aircrew and a warrant for his arrest was issued while he was overseas.
Commonwealth prosecutors on Friday withdrew the charges in Sydney, making Van Duren a free man on dry land.
The NT News understands the Thai prosecution prevented Australian authorities from also prosecuting him.
The Thai embassy in Canberra did not respond to questions yesterday about whether Van Duren might be extradited back to Thailand.
Van Duren and his older brother, Shane Van Duren, 43, of Canberra, were reported missing in Thailand on July 21 after the 40ft catamaran they chartered, the Pina Colada, was not returned to the Yacht Haven Marina northeast of Phuket.
A source close to the yacht’s owner told the NT News an insurance claim was on the cusp
of being approved after authorities believed the Van Duren brothers either sank in monsoonal storms or met with misadventure off the Thai Coast, where boats have been targeted by local pirates.
“It (was) not clear if the boat was stolen, sunk or something else happened to the charter crew,” the source said.
A Border Force spokesman said the agency had been tracking the catamaran for more than a fortnight before it arrived in Darwin.
“The vessel in question may have been stolen,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Documents filed in the Central Local Court show Commonwealth prosecutors had planned to allege Owen Van Duren assaulted the two crew members on Thai Airways flight TG475 on August 3 last year.
The epic voyage to freedom in Australia and the questionable use of the catamaran could pose strife for the older Van Duren brother, who is on a suspended sentence.
Shane Van Duren was last year handed a suspended sentence in the ACT Supreme Court after pleading guilty to punching an RSPCA inspector and strangling and threatening to kill another during a dispute over his therapy dog.
The dog had been given to him to help him recover from PTSD, which was reportedly a result of his service in the Australian Army and French Foreign Legion.
Chief Justice Helen Murrell, in handing the older Van Duren brother a two-and-ahalf year suspended sentence last year said his friends vouched for him as a “calm, gentle and positive person”.
“Generally, the offender is on a positive trajectory,” Chief Justice Murell said at the time.
Owen Van Duren did not respond to attempts to contact him through his Sydney lawyer, and Shane Van Duren could not be reached for comment.

[Piscis]

Is it just me, or is this article very confusing?? So there was a crew on board the charter boat and they are missing?? So the boat was never found and may have sunk off the coast of Thailand? If so, how did they make it to Australia?

They chartered the boat and did not return it on July 21st. At that time nobody knew what happened. They sailed it to australia. Now the boat is in Darwin and will be sailed back to Phuket by the fleet manager of the charter company.

Thats all....