A man who most likely fell overboard in a boating mishap on the Gippsland Lakes is presumed dead.
Trevor McKie, 48, of Golden Beach, was towing an old cabin-cruiser with his 72-year old father, from Seacombe to Sale on July 19, when they got into trouble on Lake Wellington.
The weather blew up in the afternoon creating treacherous boating conditions and a two-metre swell.
"The conditions were really windy, they were having difficulty with the boat and at some stage we believe he has either been knocked, or washed overboard," Victoria Police Inspector Craig Gaffee said.
Police divers found Mr McKie's mobile phone on the bottom of the lake last week.
"Its location was beneficial to us, we believe the missing person had the phone on him at the time," Inspector Gaffee said.
'Knocked overboard'
It is believed Mr McKie and his father ran low on fuel in the middle of the lake, while towing the old cruiser.
The missing man left his father, who has dementia, in the larger boat and went back to shore to get fuel.
Police say the two boats were untethered when Mr McKie fell overboard.
"It's difficult to speculate but we certainly believe that he was somehow knocked overboard and due to the volume of the water, the weather conditions at the time, there are some currents running through the lake, we unfortunately believe he is likely deceased and somewhere in the lake," Inspector Gaffee said.
Trevor McKie's boat washed up at Tucker Point, in the south eastern corner of Lake Wellington, south of the McLennan Straits, and his family was holding out hope that he had made it to shore and walked through boggy marshland to find help.
This week, Water Police, Search and Rescue crews and the police helicopter revisited Lake Wellington to complete one last search.
Police on horseback explored the foreshore in case Mr McKie had made it to shore.
"There are all sorts of possibilities and that's one of the ones that we're looking at so that's why with the assistance of the mounted branch, police on foot and the airwing we made sure that we explore not just the water but the foreshore area as well," Inspector Gaffee said.
"Some of that area is quite boggy and swampy so access is limited."
The extra resources have been stood down and the search has been scaled back.
Mr McKie's family chose not to be interviewed today but said they 'just want him to be found.'
