A 12-meter (40-foot) catamaran found drifting off Australia's Great Barrier Reef had its sails up, engines running and food on the table, but no crew, officials said Friday after launching a massive search for the missing men. A coastal patrol aircraft spotted the vessel Kaz II on Wednesday but rescue workers only reached the boat early Friday, confirming there was no one aboard, The Associated Press reported. Officials said they were puzzled by what they found. «They got on board and said the engine was running, the computers were running, there was a laptop set up on the table which was running, the radio was working ... and there was food and utensils set on the table ready to eat, but no sign of the crew,» said Jon Hall, a spokesman for Queensland state's Emergency Management office. «It was a bit strange,» he said. The vessel's emergency beacon and three life jackets were still on board, along with a dinghy. The catamaran's sails were up, but the headsail was «shredded,» according to Warwick Bracken of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. There was no indication of any other damage, or that the vessel had capsized. Queensland police confirmed that three men were missing, and that a massive sea and air search was under way Friday from Airlie Beach to the northeastern city of Townsville.
