MAY DAY

Though resident in Australia, Forfar and Sally Petrie are Kiwis and had already covered quite a few thousand miles in Squander – the 45-foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey they’d bought in Sydney in 2012 – when they began their ill-fated voyage to Tonga.

Squander was their first yacht. Central to their retirement plans, she was a comfortable liveaboard cruiser that was to be their home for many years during an extensive exploration of the South Pacific. She was third-hand – between them, the previous owners had cruised the Med and completed three trans-Atlantic voyages and a Pacific crossing.

“Both owners were very thorough in their care and maintenance,” says Forfar. “We did the inevitable upgrades and changes, but she was an established, comfortable cruiser and didn’t require any major work.”

Over the next few years they got to know , visiting the Great Barrier Reef, taking her through the Torres Strait (both ways) and then on to Vanuatu. Along the way they collected plenty of experience and various sailing