Friend struggles with news of missing boatie

A former Gisborne man who was one of the last people to see missing yachtsman Paul van Rensburg, is struggling to comprehend "what the hell has gone wrong".

Musician Regan Boocock, who now lives in Tauranga, was meant to join Mr van Rensburg on the trip to Gisborne but had to play some gigs that weekend instead.

"I was going to go, even though I'm not so good at sea. But the gigs came up so I said we would have to do a rain check for next time," he said.

No one has seen or heard from Mr van Rensburg since last Friday, when he left Tauranga Harbour aboard his yacht Tafadzwa and called his friend and girlfriend. He was meant to arrive in Gisborne on Sunday.

Mr van Rensburg's disappearance sparked a major but fruitless three-day search and rescue operation this week. It has now been suspended.

Mr Boocock is torn.

He and a friend who owns a boat desperately want to continue looking but "if they, the Orion and helicopters, can't find him, how are we going to do that on a boat? We would love to go out there and do something and find him, but where do you start?"

Mr van Rensburg visited Mr Boocock at his home the night before he left seven days, but left to check the weather on the internet.

"He was wondering whether to go or not, in regards to the weather.

"He said he'd have a think about it overnight. He obviously made his mind up."

A southerly storm was forecast to hit the East Cape area later that day and Mr van Rensburg planned to take shelter from it, Mr Boocock said.

There has been zero sign of Mr van Rensburg since.

"It's getting a bit more surreal as the days go by," Mr Boocock said.

"It's a bit freaky that there's still actually nothing to be found of him. It's pretty crazy really. He's such an experienced sailor and his boat is one big piece of steel, so it's hard to believe that nothing has been picked up on radar."

The 11m grey steel yacht is jokingly called "the tank" by Mr van Rensburg and Mr Boocock, because it was made up of so much metal.

"It's pretty much bullet-proof. It would take a lot to sink it."

An emergency locator beacon on his yacht was expected to send a signal if the vessel became immersed in water. It has not.