In a desperate attempt to recover the body of her son, Nicholas Simmons, his mother Denise Quamina this morning will place her breasts in the cold, choppy waters at Chaguaramas where he drowned and pray to God for the sea to release him."We want Nicholas back, We want to bury him," his sister, Jamielee Belgrave, said at a news conference at the family's home in Princes Town yesterday afternoon.She was joined by the other six survivors who made the trip from Princes Town to Chaguaramas, including her mother, husband, Kahlil, son, Ty, friends, Kerry Ann Charles and Jovana Assoon."If we all have to all put our breasts in the water to plead with the sea to return him, we would do so at 4 o'clock in the morning," Belgrave said.
Up to late yesterday, the Coast Guard continued its search for Nicholas and the vessel, named Bread and Butter, which he went down with during that ill-fated trip by sea to the Red Bull Flugtag event on Sunday.The body of Dimitri John, 22, who also drowned in that incident, was recovered on Tuesday."Whereever the boat is found, that is where they will find Nicholas," Belgrave added.She said on behalf of her family, she called John's family, following his recovery, to express condolences, "because we know how they feel."As a Christian, she said, she had forgiven the boat captain and has invited him to come to their home where they have been holding nightly prayer meetings to pray for Nicholas' recovery.However, her mother is not yet convinced that the boatman is without blame.
She said: "He did not try to do anything. He had two engines on board. He could have thrown them out when the boat started to sink. He is a swimmer. He could have jumped out and swim around. He said nothing, he did nothing."Belgrave said after they were rescued she asked him why he said nothing when the boat started taking water and his response was he did not want to panic anyone.She added: "I am upset with the whole situation but there is nobody to blame. We cannot blame anyone. "I blame no one for what happened. God knows best. He is the man who is supposed to judge, not me."I cannot blame anybody and people who want to blame my family, I have no problem with that. I am strong enough for my entire family.
"I stood with the Coast Guard until the night to find my brother. Those who are criticising were not there. They don't know what happened," she added.Belgrave said Ty, three, who also survived the ordeal, has been having nightmares since the incident.She said: "He never said a word or screamed during the ordeal but he has been screaming at nights, calling Nicholas, recalling that he drowned with the boat in the dirty waters."She said they had to seek medical help and her husband's employers, Schlumberger, had offered to provide psychiatric assistance to the family.