BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FIVE fishermen, who were on a fishing expedition yesterday (July 6), are alive and well after the boat in which they were travelling capsized and threw them into the Atlantic Ocean.
The MV Uprising left the shore of Reggae Beach at the South East Peninsula late yesterday morning for Turtle Beach where its captain and owner Dave Samuel of Verchilds, Nigel Bussue, Royston James, David Carty and George Lawrence intended to fish and dive for conchs.
Samuel told SKNVibes that while at sea “we hit a swell and the boat flipped. Everyone was thrown out of the vessel but everybody could swim, so we just took the things which were thrown from the vessel and swam back to shore”.
He explained that while they had gathered the items which were aboard the vessel and swam back to shore, the 14-foot vessel was still drifting out to sea and was of much concern to him.
Samuel said they swam back to the vessel while calls were made to the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force’s Coast Guard and also to an individual on Nevis identified as Cliven, who owns a vessel named Black Fin.
SKNVibes understands that Black Fin responded to the call and towed the capsized MV Uprising to shore.
The recovered vessel, according to Samuel, was turned over and pulled onto the beach.
He noted that although the vessel suffered minor damage, repair work has begun and it would be back in operation as by tomorrow (July 8).
Asked if he was scared during the ordeal, Samuel explained that he has been a fisherman for some 25 years and had suffered through and survived more grave situations.
