Mark Dennie reunited with his fishing boat

Life as fisherman Mark Dennie knows it is back to normal.

After nearly two months of being without his boat, Dennie finally saw the boat “Jah Love” for the first time since he rowed it to shore in Puerto Rico on June 4, 2010.{{more}}

Dennie, Amron “Johnny” Simmonet and Walter “Colonel” Lynch were lost at sea for 10 days after setting off to take part in the Fisherman’s Day activities on May 24, 2010.

As he sat in the back of the boat bailing out rain water from the previous night, Dennie, who lives at Rose Place said: “There is no better feeling in the world right now. I have my boat back.”

Dennie’s boat arrived home on August 27, 2010. A brief ceremony was held at the Campden Park Container Port, which was attended by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Parliamentary Representative for West Kingstown René Baptiste and Unity Labour Party candidate for West Kingstown in the upcoming general elections, Michelle Fife.

Having had to find other legitimate means of supporting his family, Mark admitted that he can rest a bit easier now that he has his main tool back with him – his boat. “I can now support my family how I would want to once more…and I can’t wait to head back out to do my fishing,” he commented.

The boat, however, needs a few minor repairs, but still looks in tip top shape. Mark added that over the next few days, he will be trying to get a new sail for the boat, as the make-shift pieces that were spread out on a bench bore a grim reminder of the horror the men faced during their ten days at sea.

In the meantime, Dennie said he and his crew will be doing some nearby fishing until they are ready to tackle deeper waters. “We are just doing small things right now. We are trying to fix the boat up first, before we can do any major fishing,” Dennie explained.

Dennie expressed thanks to Prime Minister Gonsalves, Minister Baptiste, Coreas, the agent for Tropical Shipping, and the general public for all their assistance in helping him get his boat back.

Dennie said he will no longer be accepting donations in the account that was opened on July 30, 2010, at the St Vincent Co-operative Bank to help get his boat back. He said the $1,000 that was deposited to the account will be given back and he will now use it as his personal account to cover any expense the boat may need.(KW)