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Four fishermen from the Gentle Lady, seen here departing Arichat in 2010, were rescued off Sable Island Sunday. (JARROD DAVID / Shipspotting.com)
Four fishermen from the Gentle Lady, seen here departing Arichat in 2010, were rescued off Sable Island Sunday. (JARROD DAVID / Shipspotting.com)
Four Canso fishermen were rescued early Sunday after spending about five hours in a life raft off Sable Island.
Another fishing vessel came to the rescue of the Gentle Lady, a small fishing vessel owned by Larrys River-based W.T. Grover Fisheries Ltd.
The Gentle Lady couldn’t be saved, company director Thomas Grover said Sunday.
It was the second vessel lost this year for W.T. Grover, which had a fleet of only four.
It’s hard to say right now what the loss will mean for the small company, said Grover.
“We’re just very happy that everybody’s coming home safely,” he said.
At 1:30 p.m., he had spoken only briefly to the four fishermen, who are all in their 40s or 50s, he said. They are longtime employees of the company.
Thomas said the men had been fishing for sea cucumbers. Certain parts of sea cucumbers can be frozen or dried and sold to Asian markets. Fishing methods are usually the same as for sea urchins.
The Gentle Lady’s emergency beacon went off at about 4 a.m., said Cpt. Peter Ryan of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
The ship was about 70 nautical miles (130 kilometres) east of Sable Island at the time. The closest vessel was the Ocean Concord, owned by Clearwater Seafoods Ltd., and it was asked to proceed to the location of the beacon.
The Ocean Concord brought them on board safely.
A Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft were deployed, as well as coast guard vessels, said Ryan. The coast guard planned to transfer the men to one of its own ships later today, and to bring them to Louisburg. They were expected to arrive Sunday evening.
Weather conditions early Sunday in the area of the rescue were poor, with zero visibility, fog, rain, and two-metre seas, said Ryan.
The Ocean Concord found the men a little after 9 a.m., said Clearwater spokeswoman Christine Penney. The two boats had been about 10 kilometres apart, she said.
The crew of about 40 on the Ocean Concord were fishing for clam, she said. Clearwater vessels have done rescues before, and the company’s crew routinely does safety drills.
“These guys did a great job. We’re really proud of them,” she said.
She said she wasn’t sure how far off course the Ocean Concord went to drop them off to the coast guard.
“We don’t think about costs at this kind of event,” she said. “When these things happen, you’ve got to lend a hand, and that’s what we do.”
W.T. Grover lost its other boat, the All Seven, after it began taking on water in July. They were about 200 km east of Halifax at the time.
The All Seven sank that day. The three fishermen were rescued by a British ocean tanker.