Whitsundays Police investigate sudden death at Coral Sea Marina, Abell Point

An Airlie Beach man has recalled the harrowing moment he found his boatie neighbour floating face down at a Whitsundays marina.

A man who drowned at an Airlie Beach marina has been identified as a 73 year old from the Sunshine Coast.

The Peregian Springs man, who had been living on a boat at the Coral Sea Marina, was face down in the water when his friend and fellow boatie Jim Vaughan found him on Tuesday morning.

Mr Vaughan immediately phoned marina staff and police, and emergency services attended to retrieve the body about 11.25am.

There were no obvious injuries, Mr Vaughan said, but there would have been “no point” trying to revive the man, who he knew only as Derek.

“He was purple – he’d been there probably all night,” Mr Vaughan said.

The man, known as Derek, had been living on board a boat named ‘Velella’ on arm B & C at Coral Sea Marina, Airlie Beach. Picture: Kirra Grimes

There had been no sign anything was wrong when Mr Vaughan walked up from his boat ‘Blue Trawler’, moored next to Derek’s, to the kiosk for a coffee earlier that morning.

When he returned, he saw Derek floating face down between his boat ‘Velella’ and the dock.

“I thought it was just a shirt at first, but then I looked closer and saw his face and thought ‘oh, bloody hell’. Well, I thought worse things than that,” Mr Vaughan said.

“It was so surreal and horrible.”

The man's boat, moored at Coral Sea Marina Airlie Beach. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Mr Vaughan said it was unclear how Derek came to be in the water clothed in shorts and T-shirt, and he was not aware of any medical issues.

The last time the two spoke was at Sorrento’s restaurant on Monday afternoon.

They would regularly catch up with other boaties there for happy hour drinks, Mr Vaughan said, but Derek had not shared much about his life before taking up residence at the marina “probably a couple of years ago”.

Belongings on board the man’s boat. Picture: Kirra Grimes

“We all used to knock around together,” Mr Vaughan said of the residents of marina arms B & C.

“We’d just talk about general things, sailing, what we’ve been doing and what we were going to do – boating life.

“He didn’t drink much. He’d have one or two beers and then it was, ‘see you later’. Or sometimes just a coffee.

“I didn’t know that much about him other than he was my neighbour. He lived on the boat like me and cooked all his own food. He liked his sailing and he’d go out now and again on his own.

“We all have our different [sailing] spots, but a lot of us keep ourselves to ourselves.

“He had visitors now and again, but I never saw any of his family.”

Known as a “very quiet, very nice bloke”, Derek’s sudden death had come as a big shock to the tight-knit marina community, where “everybody knew him”, Mr Vaughan said.

Jim Vaughan’s boat ‘Blue Trawler’, pictured left, is next door to the deceased man’s boat, pictured right. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Mr Vaughan appreciated the support of marina staff and residents as he came to terms with the loss, which had kept him awake all night.

“It’s a good crew,” Mr Vaughan said.

“We look after each other. We’re always knocking on each other’s boats saying, ‘are you OK?’.

“We know if someone’s got the flu and we’ll go and get their shopping for them.

“Everyone knows each other and all the staff – they’ve been asking if I’m OK. It’s a bloody good marina.”

The Velella docked next to Blue Trawler at the Airlie Beach marina. Picture: Kirra Grimes

On Wednesday, marina staff could be seen removing food from Derek’s boat and locking it up.

A QPS spokesman confirmed today police had concluded their investigation into the death and were preparing a report for the coroner.

Whitsundays Police Acting Officer-in-Charge Sergeant Mark Flynn on Tuesday said there were no indications the death was suspicious.

Police investigated the death of a man at Coral Sea Marina aka Abell Point Marina, Airlie Beach, on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Originally published as Whitsundays Police investigate sudden death at Coral Sea Marina, Abell Point