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Missing yacht off the North Island's East Coast -
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A search has continued on Wednesday morning for a missing yacht,
The Tafadzwa, off the North Island's East Coast.
Paul Van Rensburg left Tauranga on his yacht on Friday morning but
he's so far failed to arrive in Gisborne, where he was due on
Monday.
An Air Force Orion aircraft set out at first light to search the area where the 11 metre vessel is believed to have gone missing.
Maritime New Zealand spokesman Chris Henshaw says there are concerns the yacht was affected by the severe southerly storm which hit the East Coast on Friday night.
Henshaw says the yacht has a marine radio on board, but hasn't responded to calls.
Searchers have identified two areas to cover - one of 7000 square miles stretching from the bottom of the Bay of Plenty and out from East Cape.
The second covers 17,000 square miles between East Cape and Gisborne and out to fifty nautical miles offshore.
The Tafadzwa and its lone skipper disappeared after setting out from Tauranga for Gisborne on Friday morning.
Searchers say the yacht's steel hull makes it an excellent target for the Orion's radar.
