Five unanswered questions in the mystery boat voyage after art expert died off Sydney Harbour – and tech guru remains missing presumed dead

The fateful boat trip off Sydney Harbor that led to the death of a high-profile art expert and the presumed death of a tech guru has raised several questions that remain unanswered.

There is no explanation for why Andrew Findlay, 51, and native art dealer Tim Klingender, 59, went fishing in dangerous seas at 7:30am last Thursday when a southerly swell pounded the shores of the eastern suburbs.

The 7.85m Brig Eagle inflatable fishing boat they set out in was hit by 5m high waves and slammed into the rocks at The Gap in Watsons Bay at around 10am.

Mr Klingender’s naked body – dressed only in socks – was found among the rubble scattered among the rocks below Jacobs Ladder at South Head.

Persistent dangerous conditions over the weekend prevented police from recovering evidence from the ship, and tragically the search for Mr Findlay was scaled back.

Mr. Klingender is the father of two children with wife Skye McCardle Klingender, while Mr. Findlay has three children with his former partner Lizzie Kemp, who was once married to cricketing legend Brett Lee.

Findlay moved in celebrity circles in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and is close friends with model and Home and Away star Erika Heynatz and her husband Andrew Kingston, artist Daimon Downey and husband and wife musicians Angus McDonald and Connie Mitchel.

The friends are said to be “deeply shocked” by Mr Findlay’s disappearance and presumed death.

Comedian Magda Szubanksi led the tributes for Mr Klingender – who is credited with helping to propel artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Rover Thomas to international stardom – saying she had ‘great admiration for his incredible work advancing Indigenous art’.

Mr Klingender’s wife, Skye McCardle, is said to have traveled in Nepal and was said to be returning home around the time disaster struck.

These are the key questions to be answered ahead of any NSW Coroner investigation into the fatal accident:

Why did they go out?

Police would later describe the waters off Bondi and Watsons Bay as “violent sea conditions” on Thursday morning. The water temperature in July was too cold for anyone who went overboard to survive more than a day.

So why did the pair take such a risk going out with such high saves when cautions and warnings were issued for surfers and boaters alike?

How did the accident happen?

The 7.8-meter men’s inflatable craft, which weighs more than a ton, is said to be sailing too close to the Watsons Bay cliff.

Their journey started around 7:30 am, heading south from Bondi to Watsons Bay, when they encountered large waves crashing against the cliffs.

Clearly the men were too close to the cliffs for the conditions they were trolling in; a fishing method using trolling lines behind the vessel.

Superintendent Joe McNulty of Marine Area Command said waves up to five meters pushed the ship against the rocks.

“It looks like they…have been swept away by a large wave that may have capsized the ship and [has] threw both men into the ocean,’ Supt. McNulty said.

“It was violent sea conditions and a violent accident that happened.

Rescuers believe the boat struck a treacherous hidden underwater rock ledge while being pounded by the massive surf.

In the aftermath, the boat was stuck firmly against the rocks below the cliffs at South Head.

Why weren’t they wearing life jackets?

Neither man was wearing a life jacket and it is uncertain why, as their rods were launched from behind as the boat continued to move forward.

Because both men appear to have been thrown into the ocean by the capsizing of the ship, and life jackets could have helped them stay afloat in the treacherous conditions after their boat turned upside down.

What did Mr. Klingender take off his clothes and wipe out Mr. Findlay’s body?

Dangerous ocean rifts closed the beaches of the eastern suburbs last Thursday, meaning both men were at the mercy of the conditions once in the water.

Both or either man may have been injured when the boat capsized, leaving them tossed about in raging seas.

Their boat was overturned and found broken at the foot of The Gap in Watsons Bay.

Why did they call off the search?

The naval command concluded the search on Saturday, a day after “the time frame for survival, taking into account the temperature of the water in July … had expired.”

Once tipped into the choppy sea, both men would have been tossed about in conditions where surfers warned it was “definitely not a day for anyone but fit and experienced riders.” Firm southerly swell that shattered the magnets this morning.’

Caves and cliff faces in the area were searched with a PolAir helicopter hovering over the coast, trying to locate more of the boat and Mr. Findlay.

Supt McNulty said the operation covered more than 20km on Saturday from South Head to Cape Solander at Botany Bay.

Will Andrew Findlay ever be found?

The discovery of Tim Klingender’s remains has rocked the Australian art world, causing, as art dealer Michael Reid said, ‘unimaginable and devastating loss to his family’.

But as terrible as their irreplaceable loss, the anguish for Andrew Findlay’s loved ones will be even more acute, with many in such situations saying they’d rather know definitively how it ended than wonder.

Supt McNulty said over the weekend after a large-scale three-day water and air search: “We will continue the search, but look at a much lower scale for that second body, because we assume he is now deceased.”