Andrew McAuley Missing

This weekend Theresa and I where in Cannon Beach scouting for some upcoming coast paddles on the Oregon Coast and as such where out of touch with the news. However, on returning last night, I was shocked to see that Andrew, despite having the majority of the paddle behind him and being only 43 nm from Milford Sound, was reported missing.

Apparently, a garbled radio transmission was received on Friday night which prompted a rescue response. His overturned kayak, which had no signs of damage, was quickly located, although the cockpit cover was missing. Unfortunately, no sign of Andrew has been spotted so far. It’s not readily apparent what happened and we may never know the cause, but that doesn’t lessen the tragedy and irony of what has transpired.

The scope of lost that most be felt by friends and family is hard to fathom, but our thoughts and prayers go out to Vicky and his son, Finlay. Derrick Mayoleth is in the process of setting up a fund to help his family.

Further News Reports:

The Age
ABC News Online
NewsBreak