Loved ones of missing US sailor Hartwell Champagne say solo Pacific crossing was his dream
Those who know him say Hartwell Champagne is an accomplished sailor. (Supplied: Gig Harbor Marina and Boatyard/Kerrie Andrist Clos)
In short:
The partner of a missing sailor whose boat ran aground on the Queensland coast has not given up hope he will be found.
Hartwell Champagne was last heard from on September 10, three days before his yacht was found near Cooktown.
What's next?
Police are piecing together the movements of Mr Champagne's boat as he headed towards Australia on a solo Pacific crossing.
A missing American sailor whose abandoned boat mysteriously ran aground in Australia on Saturday was on a round-the-world journey and had plans to meet a romantic interest in the Philippines.
Retired engineer Hartwell Champagne Jr, 62, set sail from Panama in Central America on January 27 aboard the Ocean Rambler, stopping in at Pacific islands along the way.
Queensland Police are piecing together Mr Champagne's movements between his last known communication at sea on September 10, and the night his abandoned boat was found beached at Cape Bedford, near Cooktown, on September 13.
The boat still had a foresail set on a whisker pole, and the mainsail was lashed to the boom.
Police have not launched a search as experts have advised them it would be impractical due to the size of the area involved.
The 14-metre yacht remains at Cape Bedford, north of Cooktown. (Supplied: Queensland Police)
Mr Champagne's last known landfall was at Port Vila, Vanuatu, on September 3.
It is understood he was planning to arrive in the Philippines in late October to meet Khyma Ortizano, 34, of Mindanao, in the country's Bukidnon province, who he met online a year ago.
Ms Ortizano said Mr Champagne needed a part for his 14-metre bluewater keelboat, and was considering landing at Thursday Island or Cairns.
"He video called on September 9 to say the boat is rocking because weather is so bad," she said.
"We spoke again the next day, and I never heard from him again."
GPS chart plots show the Ocean Rambler pinging from this tiny reef for about 24 hours from Friday. (Supplied: Garmin)
Sat nav showed boat on coral
Satellite navigation records for the Ocean Rambler, seen by the ABC, show the boat on coral between the fifth and sixth Ribbon Reefs at 2:31pm, local time, on Friday.
The Ribbon Reefs are a chain of 10 narrow reefs in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef.
"I got nervous when he reached the Great Barrier Reef, because he said he didn't want to go too close to the shallows because his boat might hit the reef,"Ms Ortizano said.
"I think that on [Friday] September 12, something went wrong."
Automated chart plots show the Ocean Rambler did not leave the tiny coral reef for 24 hours, and it next pinged from the mainland at 8:31pm on Saturday.
The final GPS tracking map for Hartwell Champagne's boat, the Ocean Rambler. (Supplied: Garmin)
Ms Ortizano said they had planned a future together in Asia.
"I admire him because he is such a nice guy. He's a wonderful person. He makes my day happy," she said.
"I really hope he is safe now and managed to get to land."
Mr Champagne's sister, Monique Stotts, said her brother left Washington state 18 months ago and, after spending Christmas in Dallas and Los Angeles, returned to Panama to continue his voyage.
"His goal when he retired was to sail around the world," she said of her brother.
"We are praying for the best, however, are prepared, and know he was happy travelling around the world."
A 'well-respected' sailor
Mr Champagne's former employer in Washington state, Gig Harbor Marina and Boatyard managing director Ron Roark, said the missing man had a wealth of experience in boat yards.
"I convinced him to run the boat yard, and we became great friends," Mr Roark said.
"He was way over-qualified — he did it out of a love.
"He wanted to learn something from me, and I certainly learned from him."
Hartwell Champagne on the job as a boat yard manager in the US. (Supplied: Gig Harbor Marina and Boatyard/Kerrie Andrist Clos)
Mr Champagne lived aboard the Ocean Rambler at Gig Harbor marina.
"I find him one of the guys I remember well and kindly — I've had thousands of people working for me in many, many countries," Mr Roark said.
"I hope he shows up."
Mr Roark said Mr Champagne was also a successful inshore racing sailor in the Gig Harbor Thunderbird 26 one-design keelboat fleet.
But he said Mr Champagne was equally comfortable in open water.
"He was well respected in the Gig Harbor sailboat community," Mr Roark said.
"But something was amiss that stopped him completing his journey."
Salvage may be challenging
For now, the Ocean Rambler remains on Cape Bedford Beach.
Cooktown Coastguard deputy commander Nick Davidson said retrieving the boat would be a tricky salvage operation against prevailing south-east trade winds.
"Cape Bedford is sheer rocky headland and it's tucked up under that headland on that beach,"he said.
"It's fairly exposed country."
Mr Davidson said the local coastguard had previously been involved in dozens of boat retrievals further south, from Cooktown's North Shore, where a tow line of up to 100 metres had successfully pulled grounded boats into deeper water.
But he said acting quickly was important before a boat was further damaged by the elements, if the hull's integrity was not already compromised.
"Each successive tide over coming days will push the boat higher up the beach," he said.
"This will all come down to sufficient water to pull it off."
He expected Marine Safety Queensland to handle any tender for the salvage, and that crane access would be impossible.