Dennery fisher Vernon Samuel and a partner set out to sea Thursday morning hoping to find three colleagues from the community reported missing since the previous day and were elated to find them.
Samuel, who has also encountered mishaps at sea, recalled heading out on his search and rescue mission at about 3:00 am on rough seas aboard his pirogue – ‘Truth Is Truth’.
He told St Lucia Times about forty miles off Saint Lucia, he saw the missing men.
Samuel said the men had encountered engine problems.
“The battery gave out on them, and they sailed the whole night until the morning. The engine couldn’t start,” he explained.
According to Samuel, the men had all the necessary safety gear, including – mobile telephones, GPS, and a compass.
He disclosed that when concerned family members raised the alarm at about 9:00 pm on Wednesday when the three men did not return from their fishing expedition.
“They all were on board their vessel just sailing, trying to see if someone would rescue them,” Samuel told St Lucia Times.
“I felt so blessed when I saw these guys because while I was travelling on the sea I was feeling so crushed because I know what it is when you are out there,” the veteran fisher stated.
He said he has been fishing since 2006 and has encountered engine problems at sea but used his VHS radio to contact the Marine Police.
However, Samuel said a friend rescued him.
“It’s very difficult being out there. Sometimes the wind, the currents, everything changes on you in a moment and you’re just there with no hope. And the tide was very, very strong last night,” the Dennery resident recalled.
“The wind was blowing North, North-East. So if you are around 20 miles for the night, the next morning you would be all forty, fifty miles,” Samuel noted.
“So it was a Godsend for these guys this morning. God had a hand, pretty much,” he asserted.
Headline photo: Vernon Samuel
Great work sir, a hero for sure! The government should recognize heroes like this formally
This is really great news!!! This man deserves commendations
This is such a Blessing, Amazing Glorious Job Guys…. There should be an invention to attach a sail into pirogue for emergency cases like this!? How could one put a mast and a sail or 2 smaller sails with low mast on pirogues? Anyone!? New Paton!? Thank God you guys were found, this story is truly uplifting and inspiring….
Good news for a change. Good job sir! Happy everyone is safe. Yes, God had a hand.
Praise jah, god bless you brother for looking out for you brothers . Keep is real one love ❤️
Do not complain for the price of fish. It’s life or death trying to make a catch. It takes guts to navigate the seas on these small boats. We have lost a lot of fishermen at sea. They deserve every penny they make.
God is love.
Commendable! Proud of you Sir.
you know why most fishermen get lost out at sea? when you go to make a report to the police they tell you that you have to wait a certain amount of time before you can actually file a missing persons report. So in all this time waiting the police nor the ports police do absolutely NOTHING and these fishermen are being drifted out minute by minute and the chances in finding them before something happens are slim. The last two fishermen that was lost at sea and one died if the authorities had gone to look for them the time they were told he maybe would not have died. Its a good thing these had friends like this guy to come look for them if they had to wait on authorities they would have been dead. But tell them there have a boat with drugs on it they finding it in a hurry
Well done Boboy proud of you cuz
God is good! Those men could die in the rough seas waves and they could of been a tsunami but God rescued them just like He rescues others and always they were lost so in all this time waiting the police nor the ports police do absolutely nothing and these fishermen are being drifted out minute by minute and the chances in finding them before something happens are slim. I hope that just doesn’t happen to me or again or maybe it would be even worst they might even die this time! That’s why you should be aware of things and get prepared for stuff when you know it will come don’t play or yap! Get ready! Got it? It’s important! More important than toys or food or drinks just do it now and do stuff later! God is good! Those boats with drugs should be off them I’m glad Samuel noticed that those men where in trouble fast enough. I would hurry and be worried! God is good! ❤️ Yes!
@ma malay you are correct! Good job! 🎉 🎊