Fisherman rescued at sea

A fisherman and his worried family are counting their lucky stars today.

Shawn McClean was rescued in a joint operation of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and the Regional Security System (RSS) after being stranded at sea for three days, and he is happy to be safe and alive.

The 43-year-old departed Six Men’s, St Peter on Monday for a routine fishing trip but encountered engine problems. He had used 11 flares to get the attention of passing vessels, but was unsuccessful, and was down to his last before he was rescued around 1:50 a.m. on Thursday.

McClean, who was aboard a fishing vessel called the M240 BIZZARDTYNE, said he had discovered that he was out of gas.

“I said that can’t be ’cause I put in a tank of gas as I left to go fishing. So probably the diaphragm burst again, cause once the diaphragm burst it does burn up a lot of gas. That is probably how it happened,” he explained.

After seeing no sign of her husband, McClean’s worried wife notified the police who in turn contacted the Barbados Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Operation Centre subsequently received information about a vessel located 23 nautical miles off Speightstown, St Peter on Wednesday afternoon and mounted a search and rescue operation with assistance from the RSS.

Commanding Officer Lieutenant Coast Guard Andrew Walcott spoke about the rescue effort.

“When we first approached the area, it was very difficult finding the vessel because of the high waves and quite choppy waters. However, through the assistance of our counterparts and the good men on board HMBS Rudyard Lewis, we were able to get alongside the vessel to recover Mr Shawn McClean,” he said.

After being rescued, McClean received a secondary medical assessment by the BDF at the Florence Gittens Medical Facility.