Out in the cold, pitch blackness seen only by the stars, the small, 20-foot boat with six men tossed and cast in the rough seas.
They had secretly left land that night, watching the little light along Bimini’s shoreline fade quickly, and with him there was any last resort to change their minds, thinking of the short voyage ahead of them and ‘ the dangerous chance they were about to take, like countless others. looking for the better unnecessary life, so far from home.
Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland of the United States of America. The chain of islands in the westernmost area of the Bahamas lies just 80 kilometers or about 50 miles east of Miami or West Palm Beach. Adventurous American anglers come along all the time to fish in the Caribbean sunshine or enjoy the thrill of rum and nightlife, as it’s a quick trip in a straight straight line of deep blue sea.
Watched by a fading crescent moon and his anxious traveler, the apathy Captain, who had made the lucrative but notorious journey ferrying illegal migrants for thousands of US dollars many times before, finished his bottle of drinks occasionally, pass out drunk, and then – stumble. over the top. He was the only one who knew how to operate the center console boat.
In online chatrooms, experienced sailors exchange harrowing accounts of the shocking six and seven-foot waves coming out of nowhere, rising and breaking above boat arches, navigating the strange Gulfstream eddies and mysterious drops on down the sea. The lucky travelers punch through and end with drenching, an underwater cockpit and tall, true stories.
On the evening of Wednesday February 10, 2021, as the terrified passengers moved in the dark, a sudden wall of water overturned the unmanned vessel. Only three of the men were able to swim, so the few lifejackets went to the three who couldn’t. Believed to be on board, there were at least three, likely four young Guyanese men who probably died and so far remain a devoted, devoted father, Kevin Sukraj also known as “Davin” of Lot C 40 Block R Sophia, Greater Georgetown; his relative, Krishna Sukraj, and two friends Rayan Bhodoo and Anil Deonarine.
They had all traveled to the Bahamas from Guyana, on the same flight, in January, apparently for a short holiday, but by February had not returned to their homeland of South America. In changing and confusing stories, bereaved relatives claim they had no prior knowledge of the men’s intentions to attempt a dangerous illegal crossing into the U.S., citing that the men’s passports were seized in a raid by Bahamian authorities, who are said to have being a Police Force. “Police always take foreigner’s passport (s) and demand money (sic) especially if you’re not legal in the country then turn over to immigration,” a person commented on social media from concerned the Bahamas on the missing men.
Bahamas media reported this week that the Guyanese collected their documents before embarking on their journey at sea. Kotekenya Rolle, Manager of the “Three Daughters” motel in Bimini, said “those guys” never said they were Guyanese, but claimed they were “from New York.” She recalled, “They went up to the casino – they were partying while waiting for their passports to be returned by the Police” and “The next day when we saw them again, they said they were they’ve already got (the passports), ”he told Baewas Eyewitness News. He said they had checked and returned their room keys in the second week of February
Motel owner Steve Rolle confirmed that the men booked a room there in early February and paid on a daily basis but “they were trying to go to New York.” However, Kevin Sukraj’s family members insist, “We don’t know anything about that…” with a sister questioning, “Why would he now go to the United States, It’s not the first time he’s gone r Bahamas, why does he now see fit to go to America? Why all the other times he didn’t go? “Stating,” He loves his daughter, his daughter is his baby. “
Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield said his Ministry had no complaint or formal report from the Guyanese Government on the matter, the country’s media reported.
Across 36 hours, the only survivor, a Jamaican national, Orville Lyons, saw his new friends disappear, one by one into the Atlantic Ocean, overcome by fatigue, Palm Treasure Coast (TC) media reported. The swimmers were the first to go. By that Thursday night, only two were left. By dawn on Friday, only Mr Lyons was left sticking to the drift boat, bobbing just below the surface.
Captain Chase Cornell of the Southern Eagle charters at Fort Pierce, Florida was out fishing last February 12, with his boss and owner of the 52-foot Scandinavian sport fishing craft, Peter Busch of Busch Adventures, Mr Busch’s fiancé, Ashley Albers, a friend Kent Craig and deckhands Jack Hendrix and Robbie Lynch.
“(I) Cleared the bay before sunrise this morning to chase blue marlin. Shortly after the first light in 500 ‘of water, I received a solid return on my radar 3/4 mile off the side of my port. I slowed to take a closer look and found this guy sticking to his capped boat. He had left Bimini with six others in an attempt to take him to the United States when the boat sank… Wednesday night, ”Captain Cornell wrote in a Facebook post. He recalled in media interviews, “In the silhouette, I see the man’s hand come up, and he starts waving at me,” surrealizing the encounter. “I didn’t know what to do other than start screaming, ‘There’s a guy in the water up there! ”
Mr Lyons, in a red life jacket and unable to swim, had no strength left, the Captain recalled, posting, “He was in the water for 40 hours before we found him and he was the last survivor. We threw him the life ring and got him aboard the ship. He was hypothermic and dehydrated. We wrapped it up in blankets and placed it in front of the engine room junction for warmth. ”
Captain Cornell called the U.S. Coast Guard in Southeast, as he helped pull the man to safety, 23 miles east of Fort Pierce. “Actually we had to remove his clothes, he was soaked in gasoline and we wiped it down and got Dawn soap and rubbed it down (like) his skin was burning,” Mr Busch revealed in media interviews.
With a nine-member fleet of aircraft, cutters and a helicopter, the Coast Guard and Florida Wing Civil Air Patrol explored an area of 10,694 miles for a total of 140 hours, halting the search that Sunday, Coast Guard announced in a statement. “The decision to stop a search and rescue case is never one we come to lightly,” said Captain JoAnn Burdian, Miami’s manager of the Coastguard Sector. “We offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those involved during this difficult time.”
Captain Cornell was putting together a swing for his daughter in March when his phone started ringing. The “caller ID was from Kingston, Jamaica. It was Orville! He told me when the Coastguard arrived at the hospital that the doctors said they didn’t know how he was still alive. He was unable to walk when he returned to Jamaica and is now getting back on his feet, walking and jogging. Happy to report that he is back with his family and is fully recovering! ”
The Captain believes the rescue is “just a miracle,” and states that he is “grateful that he was in the right place at the right time.”
The lucky Jamaican Orville Lyons posted by proxy, “Thank you and all (crew) for saving my life I can honestly say that I never had much left in me to hold on to a much longer world, thank you and me (d) my family. “For Guyanese struggling to understand and cope with the tragedy of the missing men, there are more questions than answers as to why the four left their children and families, to go on a deadly excursion in the angry Atlantic, on the other side of the region.
For the US Coastguard, it is an endless task, rescuing and dispatching boatloads of Cubans and other illegal migrants, with no end in sight for those dying to reach America.
ID thinks of Ernest Hemingway who lived on Bimini in the 1930s, fishing aboard his boat “Pilar.” A blue Atlantic marlin caught 500 pounds off the islands, allegedly inspired Hemingway to write his masterpiece, “The Old Man and the Sea.”