By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReporterTRAGEDY AT sea has again claimed the lives of two more fishermen, and a third is presumed dead, plunging the Old Harbour Bay fishing village in St. Catherine in mourning.
This is the second major tragedy in less than two years. On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1999, fourteen young people from a youth club took a trip on a small boat to Pigeon Island, but eight of them did not return. They drowned after the boat developed problems and capsized.
On Tuesday morning, the community woke up to the news that four fishermen, who had journeyed to Pedro Cay the previous night to purchase fish, were missing.
The boat's captain, 49-year-old Everald Chin, Sydney Drum-monds, Howard Miller and Garrington Sterling, set sail Monday night aboard a 30-ft Packer boat named 'General Starkey'.
Deputy Superintendent Samuel Anderson, of the Old Harbour Bay Police Station, told The Gleaner that, based on reports, the men were returning home when their vessel encountered bad weather.
The high seas battered their small boat and giant waves flung them from the vessel. On Thursday afternoon, two of the men, Miller and Sterling, were found in waters off the St. Elizabeth coast. They were taken to the Black River Hospital where Sterling died yesterday morning.
Miller, who spoke with relatives after he was rescued, told them that Sydney Drummonds had died from Monday and that he had drowned. The survivor told relatives that the last time he saw the boat's captain (Chin), he was drifting on the bow of the boat.
One of Chin's daughters, Antoinette, said before her father left home Monday night he called a friend and said: "Me have $500 come mek we go buy some pork because me nuh know if you ago se me again." Those were his last words before he left for sea.
Fellow fishermen and relatives said all four men were good swimmers and they have been fishing for many years.
