Though 36-year-old Astor Range and his four fellow boaters were lost at sea 14 years ago, his family still vividly remembers holding out hope that the crew would be found amid 12-foot swells off North Sound on that cold day.
Members of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard led the search, navigating hazardous conditions in hopes of finding the missing people. A volunteer diver found Range’s shirt, and their capsized canoe turned up near Rum Point Channel, but the boaters were never located.
In recognition of the risky and exhaustive efforts of the search parties to try to locate the missing boaters, relatives of Range presented the Coast Guard with emergency supplies to mark the anniversary of the incident.
The pain of the loss is still fresh for members of Range’s family, whose speeches thanking the Coast Guard were peppered with tearful pauses. Range’s aunt, Lisa Prendergast, said revisiting those memories is challenging, but the family wanted to recognise the Coast Guard’s efforts to find the boaters after they disappeared on 10 Jan. 2010.
“It took us a while to heal and be able to do this. This stuff has been in my house for two years,” she said, while gesturing to the line of five bright orange life jackets honouring the five people lost at sea.
Search and rescue
Also lost that day were Raynel Wood, 36; Josh Gilman, 28; Jeamie Avila, 19; and Michelle Wood, 13. They reportedly left the Newlands dock in a Jamaican canoe that morning in preparation for a future sail to Honduras and never returned to shore.
The gift also included flash lights, first aid supplies and hand sanitiser. Prendergast said she hopes the supplies will aid the staff in facing the everyday dangers they navigate while protecting the community.
“We are here to tell you that you are very important, and the job that you do is also very important,” she said. “It was a very sad day for so many families involved, but today, we’re here to say thank you for all your hard work.”
She appreciated their efforts to keep the search going night and day despite the cold and treacherous waves.
Lieutenant Commander Leo Anglin accepted the family’s donation on 19 Jan. at the Coat Guard base, sharing his appreciation for their thoughtfulness.
“I can remember this particular incident like it was yesterday, as a person who was in the unit at the time,” Anglin said. “We put our best foot forward during the day in question and throughout the eight days. It’s never an easy case when it comes to search and rescues, and unfortunately, in this case, we weren’t able to bring the families home.”
He thanked the Range family for recognising members’ efforts.
Facing grief
Kimberly Salgado-Madrid said she may have never have had the opportunity to meet her father, but Range will always remain close to her heart.
“Thank you for being out there and risking your lives to search for him,” she told the officers, while Prendergast gave her a supportive hug.
And Range’s mother, Adina Range-Prendergast, offered emphatic prayers for the officers who regularly risk their safety to help others.
Related Videos
