‘Nothing short of a miracle’: Missing N.L. fishing crew found safe and is returning home
The crew of the Elite Navigator, the fishing vessel missing since Wednesday, has been found safe.
It was the outcome all hoped for in the small town of New-Wes-Valley, N.L., where most of the crew are from. But it wasn’t necessarily the outcome they expected.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” the town’s mayor, Michael Tiller, said.
The boat went missing off the northeast coast of Newfoundland last week, with its last known location about 300 kilometres northeast of Gander as of Wednesday evening. The entire crew was found in a life-raft by search-and-rescue teams Friday night.
Premier Andrew Furey posted to social media at about 1 a.m. Saturday that search-and-rescue efforts had been a success.
“Our entire province is so relieved to hear the crew members of the Elite Navigator have been found and are returning to safety to their families, who have been waiting so anxiously for this good news,” Furey posted. “Thank you to all the dedicated people involved in the search and rescue effort.”
The missing vessel had a crew of seven. Five are from New-Wes-Valley, one is from Centreville-Wareham-Trinity and another from the Gander Bay region.
Tiller said the entire region was holding its breath waiting for news, good or bad.
“Being human, you always have that fear in the back of your mind that the worst will happen. But when word started to spread last night … it was like a huge weighted blanket lifted after region and people were celebrating it.”
A significant fog bank about 15 nautical miles (about 28 kilometres) off the coast complicated search efforts on Thursday.
Search efforts expanded Friday.
Four coast guard vessels, as well as a Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft, helped in the search. PAL Airlines also used sensors in fly-overs to try to locate the boat, and a number of fishing vessels also joined in.
Tiller said the entire incident just highlights how dangerous the profession of fishing can be.
“It hits home because in small-town Newfoundland, you know everybody. You know who they are and you know their parents, their relatives, you know the boat owners. You know basically everything about them,” he said.
“You grew up with them and, you know, it’s like losing a part of your family. It’s just … it’s nothing short of a miracle that they’re all on the way home.”
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