‘No one was on board’: Rescue abandoned after grim discovery

An urgent search for a missing fisherman has been abandoned after his boat was found unmanned and drifting aimlessly.

An urgent search for missing fisherman Geoff Buchanan has been abandoned after his boat was discovered almost 150km out to sea unmanned and drifting aimlessly.

Emergency services were called to Batemans Bay Marina about 8pm on Saturday after the 56-year-old Sussex Inlet man failed to return from a daylong fishing trip.

About 1.20pm on Tuesday, Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Challenger aircraft found the fisherman’s empty boat east of Narooma.

Nearby commercial fishing boats assisted in stabilising the drifting cruiser amid choppy sea conditions. The vessel is being towed back to shore.

Police were informed that Mr Buchanan had departed the marina about 6am aboard an eight-metre Arvor cruiser. He was last spoken to about 10am.

When he didn’t return as expected, concerns were raised and emergency services were notified about 7.20pm.

Volunteers had been searching for Mr Buchanan since his disappearance. Picture: Marine Rescue NSW

A search operation was launched by the Marine Area Command, with support from South Coast Police District officers, Marine Rescue NSW and AMSA.

The search area was expanded significantly, stretching from Port Stephens in the north to the Victorian border in the south.

NSW Police marine area command officer detective chief inspector Anthony Brazzill said Mr Buchanan suffered from diabetes and police had not ruled out the possibility he suffered a medical episode onboard.

“The gentleman does have health issues managing diabetes that we’re extremely concerned about … we understand he had the medication,” Inspector Brazzill said.

“But if something did happen where he had an episode and couldn’t get to his medication, that is our grave concern.”

Mr Chaffey said Mr Buchanan had been planning to fish for tuna near the continental shelf and potentially stop for a dive on the way back on Saturday.

“(Mr Buchanan) was very safety conscious,” he said.

“He always lets the marina know where he’s going, when he’s going.”

A close friend of Mr Buchanan, and manager of the Batemans Bay d’Albora marina, Mitch Chaffey, told the ABC Mr Buchanan was a highly experienced waterman.

“Geoff’s been around the water his whole life, very experienced in the water and on the water, fisherman, skin diver, who knows his way around a boat,” Mr Chaffey said.

Originally published as ‘No one was on board’: Rescue abandoned after grim discovery