Carol Ramjohn is hoping and praying that her husband and brother will be found alive after they were lost at sea during an incident off the Guayaguayare coast, early on Saturday. Missing are her husband, Floyd Lucas, 38, of Henry Pierre Terrace in St Augustine, and brother, Carl Ramjohn, 36, of Lange Park in Chaguanas.
They were part of a four-member crew doing an environmental survey aboard the pirogue, Dawn to Dusk, captained by Cyril Adolphus, 51, of Plaisance Village, Mayaro. Ryan Mohammed, 31, of Gajadhar Lands in Princes Town, was also on board.
Adolphus was hired by the Strategic Environmental Team, of Church Road, Mayaro, to assist in doing a fauna biodiversity survey about 14 miles off the coast of Guayaguayare, he said. At his home yesterday, Mohammed said it started raining around 3 am on Saturday, and the sea became choppy. He fell asleep and was awakened by a sudden gush of water when the boat suddenly tumbled and flipped.
Mohammed said he did not realise immediately what had happened, and began shouting out Lucas' name.
"Floyd answered and then the captain answered, but we did not get any response from Carl," Mohammed said.
He explained that he and Adolphus drifted towards the overturned boat and managed to tie themselves to the engine.
"I kept talking to Floyd, but he kept drifting. I kept telling myself that it was not time for me to die."
He praised Adolphus for keeping a level head. "The captain was very good, I don't think I would have made it without him," Mohammed said.
He explained that the waves grew to more than four metres. "At one point we could not see the coastline clearly."
At his Mayaro home yesterday, Adolphus said a tug passed over the net and came very close to the pirogue and caused it to turn over.
"The tug snagged the lines of the net and flipped the pirogue."
Mohammed said the tug did not stop, but ripped through the highly-illuminated nets which the crew had cast.
He said it was surprising that the tug did not stop for its crew to render assistance.
"It is possible that the tug was on auto pilot. I can't say what caused the boat to sink. The tug did not hit the boat, because there was no evidence of impact. "It wasn't a backwash, but something pulled the entire boat under the water. It had to be the tug, because when it passed us it did not stop." Adolphus said the pirogue did not sink, but remained upside down and he and Mohammed tied themselves to the engines. He said almost 13 hours later, the boat had drifted to the Moruga coast, where they were rescued.
At Church Road, Mayaro, yesterday, Carol Ramjohn said she was optimistic that both her husband and brother would be found alive, although it had been more than two days since they disappeared.
Coast Guard officers spent most of the day searching the seas yesterday. A source said Venezuela 's Guardia Nacional had also been alerted to assist in the search.
Mayaro, Moruga, Cedros and Erin Police Stations were put on alert. Coast Guard officers also made patrols, but were unable to find the men.