'Something catastrophic happened': Missing WA fisherman likely died at sea
A fisherman likely died in an accident at sea after rope became entangled around his boat propellers during a trip off the West Australian coast in 2016, an inquest has heard.
Jeffery Thomas Doyle, 61, set off on the evening of October 16 from the Bunbury Yacht Club in his cabin cruiser and has not been seen since.
The WA Coroner's Court heard on Wednesday Mr Doyle, who was known as "Mr Fix It" for his handyman skills, did not tell anyone where he was going and was secretive about his fishing spots.
His wife Julie was not initially alarmed when he failed to return because he would often fish overnight.
But three days later, she became concerned and told police he was overdue, sparking an extensive search that failed to find any trace of him.
Later that month, his boat was found washed up near Cervantes, with rope tightly bound around the propellers.
The rope had become entangled while the motor was on and was so tightly wound around the blades it had damaged them, the court heard.
The fuel tank was half-full and he had not used either his communications radio or emergency beacons, suggesting something catastrophic suddenly happened.
The coroner will hand down his findings at a later date.
AAP