A New Zealand national, the sole person found on board a distressed yacht "Santana", is being questioned by the Tongan Police after telling rescuers that his captain had disappeared last week on a voyage between Rarotonga and Nuku'alofa.

Lieutenant Taniela Tuita of the Tonga Defence Services said this afternoon, 28 August, that the New Zealander was the sole person on board the yacht, and the police wanted to clarify his story of how he ended up having to send out distress signals.



The Tonga Defence Services patrol boat, VOEA Savea, responding to an emergency beacon alert, found "Santana" with the man on board, about four miles to the west of 'Eueiki, near Tongatapu, at mid-day, Sunday August 23, after Fua'amotu received an activated EPIRB signal at about 9:50 am.



According to the New Zealander, his Captain - a British national, had fallen overboard three days previously. The New Zealander told the crew of VOEA Savea that he did not know how to operate the yacht or the communication equipment onboard, or how to recover the captain, whom he said was wearing a life jacket. But as the yacht approached the area between 'Eua and Tongatapu, the man discovered the EPIRB apparatus on the yacht and after reading the instructions, activated the beacon for assistance.



VOEA Savea towed the yacht safely back to Nuku'alofa where the man was handed over to the police for further investigation.