Life raft is last hope for round world yachtsman

THE parents of a British man missing at sea are clinging to hope the sighting of a life raft could lead them to their son.

Matthew Wootton, from Lancaster, was sailing around the world on an 85-year-old yacht when it disappeared in heavy storms between New Zealand and Australia three months ago.

The 35-year-old was on board the wooden schooner with six Americans when a crew member sent a text saying they were in trouble.

They have not been heard from since.

Families of the missing men and women have shelled out almost £200,000 for private searches after an official mission by the New Zealand authorities was called off in July. They now pin their hopes on a £12,500 air search taking place this week.

It was arranged after Matt’s mum, Sue, spotted a raft-like object floating in the Tasman Sea while scouring satellite images.

Dad Ian said: “There’s not a huge amount of money left for private searches so this is our last hope. “But it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“We’ve looked at about 44,000 satellite images of the sea, which have been uploaded to a website.

“We start looking from the moment we get up most days.”

About 1,000 volunteers from across the world are helping the families trawl through months of satellite footage.

Mr Wootton said: “Sue saw an image that looked like a life raft. It’s the first positive sighting we have had. But now the difficulty is trying to find it with a private air search.”

The family say they’re angry at the lack of assistance from the US and New Zealand authorities.

Ian added: “If only we had proper search vehicles like US or NZ radar-equipped planes the area could be searched in a couple of days. But there is no interest from the authorities.

“Despite the lack of evidence, they are adamant the yacht has sunk.”

The crew of the missing yacht the Nina have been missing for 103 days. The only people to have survived longer after being declared lost at sea are John Glennie and his crew from the Rose-Noelle.

They spent 119 days drifting after the boat capsized off the coast of New Zealand in 1989. They were finally rescued when they made it ashore on to Great Barrier Island, 60 miles north east of Auckland.

“We’re only a few weeks off 119 days,” added Ian. “We just want to find Matt. But, keeping our spirits up is difficult, they have been missing for over three months now.”

They are now calling for more people to help them search the satellite images for any clues.

Ian said: “I think that is the best way anyone could help us now. After this search, there will be little more we can do but wait. It is hard and frustrating. But, if we don’t find them soon, I would rather not know what has happened.”

Matthew worked for a communications firm before embarking on his round-the-world trip in 2010. The environmentalist had previously travelled through the US, Central and South America, Tahiti and New Zealand, by car and boat.