A wicked nor'easter swept across Belize yesterday and it caught three sea-men 7 miles from Belize City yesterday evening.
They called in to the coast guard for a rescue. It sounded like a short skip across the waters so our 7news team tagged along. But after a few hours on the sea, Jim McFadzean is the one who felt he needed a rescue. Here's the story from a very rough day on the water:….
Jim McFadzean Reporting
"The Belize Coast Guard estimates the distance between Goff's Caye and the shores of Belize city to be 7 Nautical miles, well, for this reporter, it's been one of the longest 7 nautical miles that I have journeyed on. A very wet, very choppy day for those who wanted to come out here and rescue three sailors.
Jim McFadzean
"The sea conditions are very rough today. These are not normal conditions for fisherman to be out at sea?"
Cecil Ramirez, Petty Officer, Class III
"There is a small craft warning at the moment, the size of the vessel is not capable to operate in this type of weather."
But that's exactly the type of weather conditions three fishermen found themselves in last night, as their 15 foot skiff fell victim to rough sea conditions AND MADE a distress call to the Belize Coast Guard this morning.
Anthony Sankey, Seaman Apprentice
"Initially we first receive the call at 9:25 am this morning seeing only that these personnel's were stranded and they needed the assistance of the coast guard. Thereafter about 10 minutes later, we receive additional information that say that the reason these personnel are stranded was because the vessel that they were in has been capsize and so they were at this location in Goff's Caye and were requesting the assistance of the coast guard."
The men braved stormy seas last night to retrieve an estimated 35 pounds of lobster from their traps. 36 year old Patrick Oliva, a seasoned fisherman of more than 15 years, says he was unaware of the Belize Met Office's small craft advisory, which was posted yesterday evening at 5. By midnight, as the surf and gusty winds picked up force, the men with no drinking water and little or no rations, decided to hunker down for shelter on the popular tiny strip of island known as Goff's Caye - and that's when disaster struck.
Patrick Oliva, Fisherman & Owner of Skiff
"Yesterday morning we leave from Belize to go work along with my two workmen Allen Aldana and Tom Solomon. We went to get some lobster, so when we reach out there we catch our lobster and we catch our fish and we catch enough lobster, we say that we were going to try to work a little more in the morning to catch a little more then return to Belize. Then after the weather looks like it steps in without we notice."
Jim McFadzean
"This is after 12 last night?"
Patrick Oliva, Fisherman & Owner of Skiff
"After 12pm going to 1am, then we say that we were going to stay at Goff's Caye because we don't have any place to stay out here. But as we were reaching there at the pier the wave just got bigger, we have a small engine like a 15 horse power and the water just came in and sink the boat and we couldn't do anything at all, so we were just trying to see how we can save the boat."
Jim McFadzean
"What were you able to recover? I see you were able to recover the engine."
Patrick Oliva, Fisherman & Owner of Skiff
"Yea, the engine and we try to save our clothes and things like that. That is all that we could have saved. But at least we have the boat here to try and go back and try to do another hustling."
Jim McFadzean
"What damage was done to the boat?"
Patrick Oliva, Fisherman & Owner of Skiff
"The side of the boat was crack because it knocks into the pier so the side just cracks up. We are going to try to fix it back."
Getting the vessel back to the mainland for repairs though, will have to wait until calmer seas prevail.
Cecil Ramirez, Petty Officer, Class III
"At this moment we are not able to tow the vessel from where it is at this moment. Whenever the weather dies down we will come back to get it tow off the Caye."
Jim McFadzean
"So what will the coast guard do know for these fishermen? What can you do for them right now?"
Cecil Ramirez, Petty Officer, Class III
"We are going to assist them. With the other stuff that was save on the vessel, in the morning we will come back and assist them in towing the vessel to Belize City."
Jim McFadzean
"Explain for us what type of sea conditions these fishermen were having to deal with today?"
Anthony Sankey, Seaman Apprentice
"Right as we can observe it's a high tide and seas are very rough at this time especially in this area and winds are blowing aggressively. Waves are coming up high; they could have been taken in water in their vessel so they were dealing with some pretty rough conditions here."
Jim McFadzean
"And for you as coast guard officer, how do you access today's journey from Belize City to Goff's Caye?"
Anthony Sankey, Seaman Apprentice
"Well I can say it's more than we bargain for but that's what we expect being coast guard members."
"Today's rescue of these three fishermen is one of many that the National Coast Guard must respond to, and it is with renewed respect that this reporter tips his hat off to these men who must risk their lives on a daily basis. Reporting for Seven News, I'm Jim McFadzean."
And after all that, the fishermen lost their catch - the estimated 35 pounds if lobster that went down with the boat.
According to the Met Office, a small craft warning remains in effect for the next 24 hours …
