Sailboat aground at Mooloolaba, Australia. Body of our friend found

[johnjuliano]

We have been in touch with the mooloolaba water police and they have not yet been able to locate next of kin. So I will not list our friend's name.

He sailed from San Diego to Hilo last fall and then on to the Marshall Islands. He had gotten bored in the Marshall Islands and decided to sail to Australia. According to the water police he had not contacted any there to say he was arriving. We knew he hadn't.

The reporting is correct. He was headed directly into the wind, South, and was pulling down the Mainsail when he went over. We know that he could clip in, but apparently was not.

We were in contact with him yesterday, and watched his boat via his inreach. We sent him a joking text telling him it looked like he was in the surf.

By that time he was already overboard, and his boat was indeed in the surf.

We feel for his family.



https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-...escue/12258320

[LauraleeG]

I am sorry for your loss. Its stories like this that pose a million questions...like " I wonder why he didnt clip in?"....Sadly we will never know the answers.
Tragedy.

[Macca56]

I am sorry to hear this.
It was on the Evening news here in Brisbane along with a deck hand from a Trawler missing overboard in the same area.
R.I.P

[aclmck]

His name was released tonight on the news ,so family have been informed.

[NevilleCat]

Very sad and almost inexplicable.

Also on another note; can we reiterate to cruisers that of all the places in the world to try and enter without notifying authorities beforehand, Australia will take a very dim view of this and it seems you might be lucky to not lose your boat and personal freedom after it is all sorted out.
Please just get online somewhere and fill out the Customs and Immigration form some time beforehand.

[JPA Cate]

I'm wondering if he might have made his formal entry into Australia at Cairns or Gladstone or Bundaberg? He would not have needed to notify the water police, but Customs and Immigration and Quarantine.

Ann

[StuM]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I'm wondering if he might have made his formal entry into Australia at Cairns or Gladstone or Bundaberg? He would not have needed to notify the water police, but Customs and Immigration and Quarantine.

Ann

Yes, I took the "According to the water police he had not contacted any there to say he was arriving" to mean that he had not notified Mooloolaba VCG that he was travelling down the coast, not that he had not cleared in to Australia.

As MSQ says:
"Boats are strongly encouraged to log on/off with their local volunteer marine station and update changes to location and intentions."


Edit: Seems my assumption was incorrect. Found this on the web. The phrase "cavalier attitude" comes to mind and may go towards explaining the incident.

"Mooloolaba, Australia, 18-May-2020 — Jennifer and I had texted Greg the previous few days discussing what he expected to happen when he arrived unannounced in his 34-foot sail boat in Australia."

[NevilleCat]

Yeah, I assumed he had not notified from reading this article

So sorry about your friend John. I guess you have to really stay on your game all the way until you are finally tied up.