Cammeray Yacht Deaths: Couple found dead on luxury yacht moored at Tunks Park marina.

By ANNA USHER

UPDATED: The relationship between an avid sailor and a brothel owner will form part of a police investigation after their mysterious deaths on board a yacht on Sydney’s north shore.

The lifeless bodies of the couple – aged in their 60s – were discovered on a bed inside the 15m-long yacht called “Taloha” on Wednesday night, when Water Police boarded the vessel, which was moored at Tunks Park marina, at 9 pm.

Police have confirmed the incident is being treated as suspicious, even though there is “no obvious cause of death yet”.

“At this stage, we are treating it as suspicious because we don’t know what’s happened,” Detective Inspector Siobhan Munro said at a press conference.
Detective Inspector Munro said she would not rule out foul play.

The couple are understood to have told friends they would spend Monday night on board the boat, but the alarm was raised when they failed to return.

New details are now emerging about the pair, who arrived in two separate cars at the boat ramp.

It’s now thought they may have been dead for two days before their bodies were discovered.

Detectives know the identities of the dead couple and say they were not residents of Cammeray or nearby Northbridge.

“We are speaking with family. Obviously, it’s distressing for any family member,” Detective Inspector Munro said.

It is understood that carbon monoxide poisoning will be among the lines of inquiry being examined, along with several other possible scenarios.

“We had the fire brigade turn up, we treat it as a possibility that fumes may be related, so that’s why we’ve done the testing, and the post-mortem will reveal more related to that, so it is more cautionary,” Det Insp Munro said.

The Hanse 470e was built in 2007 and has raced competitively on Australia’s east coast.

It has three cabins, one with an ensuite, two internal showers, mahogany fittings and a stone bench galley.

Records show Taloha last changed hands in 2022, and the annual registration on the vessel was renewed only four weeks ago.

One local man, who asked not to be named, rushed to the scene after hearing the news, fearing the couple were his friends.

“I have two friends who match that description who are doing renovations and were camping on board their yacht overnight,” the man told the Daily Telegraph.

He said the marina was a popular spot for overseas visitors to moor their yachts as a cheaper alternative to Sydney Harbour.

A van belonging to the coroner’s department has just arrived on site, indicating police are preparing to remove the bodies off the boat.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted in the coming days to confirm the identity of the man and woman and to determine the cause of death.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.