No sign of life for weeks
Swiss circumnavigator (80) lost in Tasmania
Around two months ago, a circumnavigator from Zurich left the port of Hobart, the capital of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Since then, Peter B. has disappeared. The police are seriously worried about the Swiss.
Published: 3:05 p.m
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Updated: 3:43 p.m
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A Swiss globetrotter has disappeared in the Tasman Sea.
The last sign of life from Peter B.* (80) is dated December 1, 2022. On this day he left the port of Hobart. Hobart is the capital of the Australian island of Tasmania. The destination of the Swiss: New Zealand.
B., who comes from the canton of Zurich, was an experienced sailor. Twice he sailed solo around the world. So far there is no trace of him. On December 5, the transponder of the yacht’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) failed. At the time, the boat was in the Tasman Sea, about 140 kilometers off the east coast of Tasmania. The weather at sea was bad, according to the Tasmania police.
B’s safety gear on the boat included life belts, a life raft, a GPS device and an emergency beacon.
As early as 2019, B. almost died while sailing
The sailor’s family reported the situation to the Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA), which police said was conducting a “large-scale” search in the Tasman Sea. The search was unsuccessful, as reported by the Australian TV broadcaster ABC.
It would not be the first time that the Zurich native has been in distress. B. had already capsized in 2019 with his 13-meter-long boat called Lady Lay. It overturned at that time in heavy seas. B. later explained that the waves were around six meters high that day.
As a result of the incident, all of the sailing boat’s electronics failed, and the engine also gave out. It was only nine days later that B. arrived in Port Lincoln, Australia, with the wrecked ship.
170,000 square nautical miles searched – without success
Almost eight weeks after the disappearance of the Swiss, the investigations are still in full swing. The authorities are trying to locate the globetrotter.
In previous searches, around 170,000 square nautical miles in the Tasman Sea were controlled. The New Zealand authorities say they have no record of B. entering the country or entering the waters there.
The Swiss family deserve answers “and we will try to give them some answers as part of the investigation,” said Sergeant John Delpero of the Tasmanian police. The police are seriously worried about the man. Delpero also explained that it was still unclear what B. had done in the Australian city of Hobart. The family did not want to comment on a Blick request.
In 2017, the death of a Swiss man in Tasmania made headlines. However, Thomas Münger († 44) died in the vastness of the bush and not at sea. (nad)
* Name known