The loved ones of a missing US sailor say it is "paramount" they get answers about his disappearance and what led to his boat running aground on a remote Far North Queensland beach.

Hartwell Champagne Jr, 62, was last heard from on Wednesday, September 10, as he sailed toward Australia from Port Vila in Vanuatu.

His 14-metre boat, Ocean Rambler, was found late Saturday night beached at Cape Bedford , about a five-and-a-half-hour drive north of Cairns.

Mr Champagne's Texas-based sister Monique Stotts said her brother was a "very knowledgeable" sailor, who was not worried about embarking on a solo Pacific crossing from Central America in March.

"The only concern he had was when he left Panama and he had 30 days where he knew he would not be near land," Ms Stotts told the ABC.

"But we

See Full Page