Friends of missing sailor Paul van Rensburg are convinced that he is still alive somewhere and are determined to continue the search.
Their belief is supported by people from search and rescue, weather analysts, yachtsmen and family who know his abilities well, says friend Warwick Gowland.

Paul van Rensburg now missing with his yacht Tafadzwa (pictured above) was last heard from on Friday, March 12.

'His whole family have been involved in sailing a lot and his parents have been with him on the boat also, he is very experienced and knows his stuff,” says Warwick.
'He seems to be very proactive about double checking things and making sure he has the right equipment onboard.”
The life raft onboard should contain enough food for about 24 days. There is fresh water and a water catcher.
'He could also still be onboard though and just unable to fix something that has gone wrong,” says Warwick.
'No debris is a pretty good sign the boat hasn't sunk.”
The search by the Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion, a Piper Navajo and two helicopters covered 328,000km2 of ocean.
Search coordinator Dave Wilson says he is confident that had the yacht been in the search area they would have found it.
He said searchers were disappointed not to have found the yacht but after such an extensive search there was nothing more they could do.

Click here to read how Paul's mates are advancing the search for him.