The family of an Irish skipper who perished when his trawler sank yesterday paid tribute to all those involved in the salvage operation of his vessel.
Glynn Cott (30), from Ballycotton, Co Cork, perished along with his Polish crewmate, Jan Sankowski, when their boat, the Maggie B, sank five miles off Hook Head in Co Wexford on March 29th, 2006. The family had hoped that Glynn's body might still be on board the trawler.
However following a thorough search of the salvaged vessel at the quayside in Arklow on Monday by Garda divers, the family yesterday issued a statement expressing their regret but also their determination to find out what caused the Maggie B to sink.
"We, the parents, sisters and brother of Glynn Cott, skipper of the Maggie B, are deeply disappointed and very saddened that the thorough and complete search of the vessel undertaken by An Garda Síochána at Arklow yesterday did not make any recovery enabling us to have a Christian burial for our beloved Glynn," said the family.
"We would like again to express our thanks to the coroner, An Garda Síochána, the Coast Guard, the salvage company and to all who have kept watch, waited and prayed with us in these past months."
The statement said the family are more determined than ever to discover all the facts about why Glynn was lost so that others my be spared their grief and pain in the future.
The sole survivor of the tragedy, Pole Krzysztof Pawtowski, said the vessel sank in 90 seconds and the Cott family want a thorough investigation into why the vessel, which previously capsized in British waters when named the Gilsea, went down.