Is this a clue to lost yacht?

A CHANCE find by a Kaipara tour operator could shed some light on the whereabouts of a yacht that was lost at sea 28 years ago.
Anthony Taylor, who operates Big Foot Tours on Ripiro Beach, found the cockpit grating just north of the monument on Omamari Beach.
He gave it to maritime historian Noel Hilliam, who believes it could have belonged to the the yacht Smackwater Jack.
The yacht and its four crew disappeared during a race from Hobart to Auckland in 1980.
Neither the boat nor the four crew have ever been found.
Mr Hilliam, who took part in the search for the yacht, which was last heard from by radio on January 9, 1980, said the crew reported difficult and heavy seas at the time.
He believes the craftsmanship and teak timber of the wreckage link it to the Smackwater Jack.
The wreck has never been found but teak hatch stairs, which match the recent find, were found by Mr Hilliam in the same area during the search.
Although they have never been formally identified the size, design and quality correspond to that of Smackwater Jack.
Mr Hilliam is keen to hear from anyone who may be able to identify the grating, or who has found or finds any wreckage in the same vicinity.
He said the lack of any growth on the grating would suggest the boat has been covered in deep sand, probably south of Omamari.
Recent big seas have likely exposed the wreck to the elements.
The Whiting family in Auckland, who were considered by the Waitemata yachting fraternity to be the best boat-builders in the area, built the expensive yacht, co-owned by Murray Ross of Whangarei.
Skipper Paul Whiting, his wife Alison, John Sugden and Scott Coombes were on board at the time it disappeared.
More than a week after the official search for Smackwater Jack had been called off, Mr Hilliam spotted a deflated and partially sunken liferaft with three bodies about 1km north of Round Hill, Ripiro Beach.
A recovery operation, delayed because of high seas, failed to locate either the raft or the bodies.
While finding the wreck might reveal questions that have remained unanswered for almost 28 years, Mr Hilliam said there were no immediate plans to launch a fresh search for the wreck.
" Mr Hilliam can be contacted on 09 439 7718.