“I still believe he will come back!”...says sister of missing fisherman
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Joseph ‘Joe’ Chambers (centre)
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RELATIVES of one of the men who recently went missing at sea are still clinging to the hope that he would return home safely.
Fishermen Richard ‘Elmond’ Hodge of New Road Housing Extension, Joseph ‘Joe’ Chambers of Ponds Pasture and Julius Alcendor, a Dominican who resides at New Guinea, reportedly went out to sea on Christmas Eve 2008 on a conch diving expedition and have not been seen since.
Local and international Coast Guard units have been combing the territorial and neighbouring waters in search of the vessel and the men but, according to reports, the searches have been futile.
SKNVibes spoke with Chambers’ sister, Pearline Ponteen, who explained that based on a promise her brother had made to her, she still believes he would return to her.
“He always assured me that when he goes out sea, no matter what happens he will be back; so I still have some measure of hope that he will return home,” Ponteen expressed.
The obviously concerned sister told SKNVibes that Chambers had completed a few errands for her shortly before he went out to sea.
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Richard ‘Elmond’ Hodge
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“I took him to buy gas that morning. It was about after 7:00 in the morning. We went by Texaco at Wellington Road. I took him to Shell to pick up some oil; I dropped the gas off by the fishing complex, picked him back up from Shell and took him down by the bay. I left him there and I came home.”
She explained that some 12 hours later fishermen showed up at her home and inquired as to whether or not her brother and his fishing buddies had returned to shore. That, she said, was when she became concerned.
“A few fishermen came and ask me if I know he ain’t come in yet and I said no. I was concerned about where he would be. They usually come in about three or four. They came here about before or after seven. They told me to call the Coast Guard and I did. They spoke to the Coast Guard.”
Describing her brother as a determined individual, Ponteen said she has not given up hope and reiterated that she believes he would return home.
“I am not giving up on him. I still have hope that he will be found. He is a determined person and I am keeping the faith. I was depressed because he normally would come and eat with us on Christmas Day. He did not because he went out to sea. I am still hopeful that they would be found.”
Chambers has fathered several children, the last of whom is two years old. ~~Adz:Left~~
Previously, the family of Hodge had expressed hope that their relative would be found and would be returned home in good health.
SKNVibes made several attempts to contact relatives or close friends of Alcendor but the efforts were unsuccessful.
Today marks the 12th day since the men were reported missing.
Meanwhile, an officer of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force Coast Guard informed this media house that the search is ongoing but not as intense as it was in earlier days.
He also stated that assistance is still being had from the San Juan-based US Coast Guard and the Regional Command Centre for Search and Rescue in Martinique.
