The heartbroken mum of a missing fisherman whose scalloping vessel sank in the sea has said he ‘isn’t coming back’.
Robert Morley, 38, and Adam Harper, 26, have both been missing since the Joanna C sank off the coast of Seaford, East Sussex, on Saturday. Captain Dave Bickerstaff, 34, was rescued from the water and rushed to the hospital after he was found clinging to a buoy for four hours.
Jackie Woolford, whose son Mr Morley was due to marry his long-term partner next year, believes the boat was hit by a ‘freak wave’ which knocked it over. She told how Mr Bickerstaff had attempted to resuscitate her son after he went blue in the water.
She said Mr Bickerstaff got her son back to the surface after he went under and ‘tried to give him mouth to mouth’ which eventually ‘got him back around’.
She told The Sun: ‘He did say he had the ring and Robert got cold really quick when he went in the water and then apparently he just saw him drift. He turned round and when he looked back Robert was gone.’
Ms Woolford said she had also heard Mr Harper is unable to swim, which could have caused him to remain on the boat.
Ms Woolford’s husband Barry, Mr Morley’s stepdad, added that he was ‘one of the loveliest stepsons I could have ever had’, nothing that he ‘really loved his life’.
A relative of Mr Harper shared their empathy with Mr Morley’s family in an emotional post on Facebook. They went on: ‘This is a very tearful moment for both families still hoping for two miracles to happen.
‘It is time to come home to your families now lads. Much love to everyone and stay safe lads for those at sea.’
The Joanna C was a 45ft scalloping boat registered in Brixham and its last known location was three nautical miles off the coast of Seaford, near Newhaven. It is believed to have sank early Saturday morning.
A huge search of around 14 vessels was then launched, including units from the Newhaven and Eastbourne RNLI lifeboats and Eastbourne and Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Teams. This was called off at around 11pm, before resuming at first light on Sunday.
A GoFundMe page set up to support the families of the two missing men has so-far raised more than £6,200. Donations will be passed to the Fishermen’s Mission, a charity providing practical, emotional and financial support to fishermen and their families, which will distribute it to those affected.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/23/missing-fishermen-pictured-for-first-time-after-boat-sinks-13637795/