BROWNNOSE
BOOTLICKER
A cooler found floating in the Bay of Fundy remained one of the few clues Tuesday in the disappearance of a scallop dragger and the four Nova Scotia fishermen on board.
Search officials said the cooler appears to be from the 15-metre RLJ fishing boat.
"The handlers of the vessel have passed on to us that it fit the description of a cooler that was on board," said Maj. Paul Doucette, spokesman for the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax.
Doucette said the cooler was stained with oil but he couldn't speculate about what happened.
"Certainly, the focus remains to be on the lookout for survivors or any indications of that in terms of survival equipment," he said early Tuesday.
The names of the four missing fishermen have not been released. Two are from Digby and the other two from nearby Annapolis Royal, and they are all experienced, local fishermen told CBC News.
No distress call
People in Digby are struggling to understand why there wasn't a distress call.
Fisherman Bruce Titus said it's possible the boat flooded very quickly and rolled.
"If you're anchored, and the tides switch and the tide's coming right up on the *** of you, it's going to put water on your deck," he said. "If they were asleep and it happened, there's no way they could get a distress out."
Fishermen who were in the area said the weather was fine until the wind picked up Saturday night. They didn't see any emergency flares or other warnings.
"We didn't see nothing or hear nothing," said Jonathan Stewart.
Due Saturday
No one has heard from the RLJ since Friday, when one of the crew members called home to say they would be back in port in Digby on Saturday.
When the RLJ didn't return, family members became concerned because the boat had only enough fuel to last until Sunday, Digby RCMP said.
Three Canadian Coast Guard vessels and a Hercules aircraft with night-vision capability have been searching the eastern Bay of Fundy for the fishermen. Weather conditions have been good.
The cooler was discovered Monday night about midway between Saint John and Digby.
"That's basically within the search area," Doucette said
B hunter
Search officials said the cooler appears to be from the 15-metre RLJ fishing boat.
"The handlers of the vessel have passed on to us that it fit the description of a cooler that was on board," said Maj. Paul Doucette, spokesman for the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax.
Doucette said the cooler was stained with oil but he couldn't speculate about what happened.
"Certainly, the focus remains to be on the lookout for survivors or any indications of that in terms of survival equipment," he said early Tuesday.
The names of the four missing fishermen have not been released. Two are from Digby and the other two from nearby Annapolis Royal, and they are all experienced, local fishermen told CBC News.
No distress call
People in Digby are struggling to understand why there wasn't a distress call.
Fisherman Bruce Titus said it's possible the boat flooded very quickly and rolled.
"If you're anchored, and the tides switch and the tide's coming right up on the *** of you, it's going to put water on your deck," he said. "If they were asleep and it happened, there's no way they could get a distress out."
Fishermen who were in the area said the weather was fine until the wind picked up Saturday night. They didn't see any emergency flares or other warnings.
"We didn't see nothing or hear nothing," said Jonathan Stewart.
Due Saturday
No one has heard from the RLJ since Friday, when one of the crew members called home to say they would be back in port in Digby on Saturday.
When the RLJ didn't return, family members became concerned because the boat had only enough fuel to last until Sunday, Digby RCMP said.
Three Canadian Coast Guard vessels and a Hercules aircraft with night-vision capability have been searching the eastern Bay of Fundy for the fishermen. Weather conditions have been good.
The cooler was discovered Monday night about midway between Saint John and Digby.
"That's basically within the search area," Doucette said
B hunter
