Concern is growing for a boatie missing in waters off Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide, after debris was found in the water yesterday.
Key points:
- Tony Higgins was one of two men found on September 10 after a four-day search
- He reported his boat was taking on water yesterday
- Debris was found near Granite Island yesterday afternoon
The search for Tony Higgins and his boat, the Margrel, is resuming this morning off Granite Island.
The 57-year-old Goolwa man called police early yesterday, saying the boat he had been living on for two weeks was taking on water.
He has not been heard from since.
His boat was last seen at the Granite Island wharf on Monday afternoon.
Debris was located in the water near the island about 4:30pm yesterday by an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) plane.
Police are investigating whether it is linked to Mr Higgins.
It is the second major police search for Mr Higgins, after he and his friend Derek Robinson disappeared in waters off Eyre Peninsula earlier this month, sparking the largest maritime rescue mission in the state's history.
They were found five days later, unaware of the panic they had caused.
Mr Robinson yesterday told the ABC he was worried for his friend's safety, and hopeful he would be found floating in the ocean in a life jacket.
Sea Rescue volunteers conducted a search for several hours yesterday morning but were forced to return to shore as weather conditions worsened.
They and the SA Police Water Operations Unit will search Encounter Bay again this morning.
Authorities conducted an aerial search of the area until 11:00pm using infrared radar equipment.
'Atrocious' conditions yesterday
Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes described yesterday's weather as "atrocious", with wind gusts of about 50 kilometres per hour bringing rain down "pretty well horizontal".
The former commodore of the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club said the South Coast was a "very treacherous bit of ocean" in such weather.
"There's nothing out there to slow the wind down — there's nothing to shade behind, it's wide open ocean," Mr Parkes said.
"As people have said, nobody would put a boat in the water in this weather.
"You can only guess that something's happened and the boat has got off its moorings accidentally during the night and been carried out with the current."
He said he felt for the searchers, particularly the many volunteers.
"Putting their lives at risk in these conditions — it's terrible," he said.
Mr Parkes said wooden boats often leaked some water, which could be exacerbated in heavy weather.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA5LTIzL3NlYXJjaC1yZXN1bWVzLW1pc3NpbmctYm9hdGllLXRvbnktaGlnZ2lucy1hbmQtbWFyZ3JlbC8xMjY4OTkxNtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjY4OTkxNg?oc=5
2020-09-22 21:50:00Z
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