Since the rescue there’s one question I get more than any other:

“What happened to Maiwar?”

Aboard the P&O Pacific Explorer there were all sorts of rumours making their way around the ship regarding Maiwar’s fate. Many thought she had been hauled aboard the ship, others said she sank, and some said she was deliberately scuttled by the cruise ship. Unsurprisingly, none of these are true. Maiwar was left to her own devices; she was last seen by the crew in the bridge as they reversed away from her.

Maiwar is built of wood and carries foam flotation, this means that she will never sink. This leads me to believe that she’s still out there floating along in the currents. Therefore, she will eventually wash ashore somewhere. Judging by the current models she is likely to end up between Cairns and Cape York on the Queensland coast. If it weren’t for the Great Barrier Reef I would be thinking about a salvage operation - dragging her up the beach wherever she ends up. However, there are hundreds of miles of reef she will encounter, and the chances of getting through unscathed are probably slim.

It’s one thing for a boat to wash ashore on a vast coastline, and it’s another for her to be found and reported. Thankfully, the Australian Border Force keeps a very close eye on the Australian coastline and EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). They patrol in aircraft very regularly to ensure Australia's borders are kept safe. An upturned Maiwar would certainly get a second look, a good thing indeed considering that most of coastal Far North Queensland is almost uninhabited. I believe it would take her at least two and a half months to reach Australia, and probably a lot more. So, we may be waiting a while before anything is heard. And there is of course the chance that she will end up on the few outlying reefs between Australia and Vanuatu, in which case nothing would be heard.

So it really is anyone’s guess as to when, where, or if Maiwar will wash ashore in Queensland, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her again. What a reunion that would be!