By Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
THE JAMAICA Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guards reported yesterday that some 37 fishermen who were reported missing from the off-shore fishing village on Pedro Cay are alive and well.
However, 53-year-old boat captain Clarence 'Moses' Moxam, while counting his lucky stars, is worried about his son and another man who remain missing at sea.
Mr. Moxam was rescued in the waters between Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman Islands by JDF personnel on Monday and, subsequently, airlifted back to the island, but his 23-year-old son Hersey, his travelling companion known only as 'Rohan' and their boat 'The Ocean Queen' are still missing.
Mr. Moxam's decision to 'ride out' Hurricane Ivan aboard his boat 'Miss Rita', which was anchored off the coast of Black River, in St. Elizabeth backfired but he is alive to tell the tale.
"We anchored down in Black River on Saturday night to "ride out" the storm but the strong wind came and blew away my boat and my son's boat," recounted Mr. Moxam, who has had over 30 years experience on the high seas. "We never tried to fight the wind because that would have been dangerous so we allowed the boats to drift out to seas."
EXTREMELY WORRIED
"I am extremely worried about my son and Rohan," said Mr. Moxam, who thinks the local authorities should use an aircraft instead of a boat to search for them. "I believe if he survived Saturday night he should be somewhere out there waiting to be rescued."
EXPERIENCED
"I know they have adequate supply of water but I really don't know how much food they have," continued Mr. Moxam, who had a similar experience 32 years ago when another hurricane caught him out at sea off the coast of Nicaragua. "They are experienced enough to know that they should use whatever food they have sparingly."
Having survived Saturday night's fury and Sunday morning's aftermath, Mr. Moxam said he quickly repaired his radio and other navigational instruments and made contact with his family. "I told them I was safe and gave them my location. They made the contact with the JDF and told them where my boat was located."
