KEY POINTS:
Canadian couple Chris Malchow and Courtenay Steele's sailing trip of a lifetime began in New Zealand. Now their friends and family hope it hasn't ended in tragedy off the coast of Hawaii.
Nothing has been heard from the couple since their final blog entry, on September 7. Canadian
and American authorities have now suspended their search for the couple and their vessel Takaroa II.
Malchow, 31, a carpenter and rigger, and Steele, 27, who worked in a cafe in Russell earlier this year, came to New Zealand in October 2006. They bought a van in Auckland and toured the country, before ending up in Northland.
The couple divided their time between Russell and Whangarei before buying Takaroa II, a 9m Tahiti ketch. After refurbishing the boat the couple set sail for Tahiti and then Hawaii.
Takaroa II left Hilo, Hawaii, on September 8, bound for Victoria in British Columbia. A major operation was launched, but the Canadian and US coast guards have now suspended their searches.
Bay of Islands boatie Rick Blomfield said Tahiti ketches could "leak like sieves" but were also hardy and dependable vessels.
Mr Blomfield had sailed in the same waters where Takaroa II is missing, and said vessels based in British Columbia usually had steel plates on their keels to deflect submerged logs - a major hazard in the area.
Takaroa II's voyage would have started with a 965km trip due north before heading east.
Suzanne Steele, Courtenay Steele's aunt, said while her niece had little sailing experience Malchow was a very capable sailor.
"There is a possibility that they are off course, that they've been de-masted or something like that, and that they will make their way home," Ms Steele told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I don't think that's an unrealistic view. I have great hope still."
John Steele, Courtnay's father, told CBC News on Monday that the pair may have been run down in a commercial shipping lane.
On a blog posting written in May Courtenay said her trip had made her feel more alive and more empowered than ever.
"There is nothing to be afraid of in life. Fear is a useless emotion ... Because what's the point anyway? The world could end in a fiery Armageddon tomorrow, long before cancer or bird flu or crossing the ocean kills me. And then my last thought would be 'Had I known this was going to happen, I'd've taken that trip'.
"But of course I don't think one should live recklessly, arrogantly, or unprepared.
"It is a balance, and also a trust in fate. I believe when your time is up, it's up."
