Pub barman among missing sailors
James Male, 23, from Southampton, who has worked part-time at the Old House at Home in Romsey for the past year, is one of the four crew members who were returning from Antigua Sailing Week, when their boat, the Cheeki Rafiki, began taking on water on Thursday. Contact with the men was lost on Friday.
Fuller’s tenants Mike and Sarah Edom said Male is a “one-off” and are urging the US Coastguard to continue looking for the sailors, after the air and sea search was called off yesterday (Sunday).
'They will be found'
Sarah told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser: “We don’t want to upset the Americans in any way, because we’re grateful for what they’ve done, but we want to get the search started again.
“These guys are trained for this situation. We believe they got in the raft, they set off the signals in the right order, so they’re alive. They are in a 12 man state-of-the-art raft and there’s only four of them, and they have enough supplies and equipment.
“If anyone can survive this they can. The families truly believe that they will be found if the search continues - we all do.”
She said all the staff at the pub are “devastated” and Male is a “really valued” employee. She said: “Certain people affect you in your life and James is a one-off. We love him.”
The other missing crew members are Andrew Bridge, 21, from Farnham, Surrey; Paul Goslin, 56, from West Camel, Somerset; and Steve Warren, 52, from Bridgewater, Somerset
The US Coastguard has not yet responded to the campaign.
