MV Barima tragedy-Families cling to hope as search continues for missing persons

As search teams continued their operation on Monday for those still missing after Sunday’s vessel tragedy in the North West District, the waters where the vessel disappeared remained the focus of an intensive rescue effort. Across Guyana, the tragedy has already left dozens of families facing an agonising wait, among them the relatives of Rachel Wells and her three young children. But apart from beyond that family’s ordeal are the stories of crew members who left home expecting to return after another routine voyage. Among those still reported missing are 56-year-old Sailor Raymond Sumra of Islington New Amsterdam, 22-year-old Sailor Antoine Harcourt of LBI, Sailor Rawle Frank, and the vessel’s chief engineer, Paul Seepersaud of New Amsterdam.

For Rebecca Sumra, the days since the vessel sank have been filled with anxious waiting. She said she last spoke with her son about a week before the voyage. As she had done throughout his years at sea, she reminded him to trust in God whenever he travelled. “Anytime he’d go and come, I’d always tell him to pray to God and call upon Him for safety,” she recalled. She said relatives informed her of the tragedy, after which every attempt to reach Raymond proved unsuccessful. Despite the uncertainty, she refuses to believe the worst. “I want to see him alive,” she said, adding “I’m hoping somebody would rescue him.”
The uncertainty has also been difficult for Raymond’s sister, who said she was awakened early Sunday morning by relatives trying to determine whether it was her brother who had been aboard the vessel. Still, she said the family has not abandoned hope. “I’m hoping for the best. I’m hoping that we could see him alive.”
Alison Harcourt has found herself repeatedly returning to the last conversation she shared with her 22-year-old son, Antoine of LBI. He had visited home only days before and, on Saturday afternoon, sent her a message saying he was leaving. She did not see it immediately. More than an hour later, she replied with a simple message, wishing him a safe journey. The next morning, she awoke to reports that a vessel had sunk. “The first thing I saw was the boat sunk,” she recalled. “I dropped the phone because I knew he had told me he was leaving.”

“I know there is a God”
Throughout Sunday she called relatives and searched for information. She described Antoine as a loving son with whom she shared an exceptionally close relationship. “He was always coming to make me laugh,” she said. Although fear has crept into every hour since learning of the tragedy, she said her faith has never wavered. “I know there is a God and He is a miracle-working God. I’m trusting that he’s alive. I’m not giving up my faith.” For Esther Frank, the waiting has been accompanied by another troubling thought. She recalled that after returning from an earlier voyage, her son, Rawle, mentioned that the vessel had developed problems. She said he had indicated that repairs were expected. “I pray that he is found safe… He has a child too. It isn’t easy.”

“Son, safe journey”
For Alison Harcourt, every passing hour has been measured by the hope that the next telephone call will finally bring the news she has been praying for. Unlike many mothers, her final conversation with her son was not face-to-face. It came through a brief message on her phone. Antoine had visited her only days earlier before returning to the coast where he worked. Then, on Saturday afternoon, shortly before the vessel departed, another message arrived. “Hi Mom, I’m leaving in a few.” Busy at the time, Alison did not see it immediately. Nearly an hour and a half passed before she opened her phone and read her son’s words. Without hesitation, she sent a reply. “Son, safe journey.” She never checked to see whether he had read it. Around dawn, Alison reached for her phone as she usually does. Almost immediately, she was confronted by news she never imagined she would read.
“When I opened the phone, the first thing I saw was that the boat had sunk,” she recalled, adding “I dropped the phone right away because I knew he had told me he was leaving.” Within minutes, relatives began calling. They wanted to know whether Antoine had been aboard the vessel. “I started calling around and asking and I said, ‘Yes, he was on the boat because he told me he was leaving’. We waited all day for information, and up to now we still don’t have any.” Alison said her son had worked at sea for more than two years, first aboard another vessel before joining the Barima only a few months ago. To those who knew him best, however, Antoine was defined by his personality. “My son was a loving child. Always jovial. We shared a very, very close relationship. He would always come and do something just to make you laugh.” Though visibly shaken by the uncertainty surrounding her son’s disappearance, Alison said she refuses to surrender the faith that has carried her through every difficult moment in life. “At first I was feeling numb,” she admitted. “But then I know there is a God, and He is a miracle-working God. I know that I serve a true and living God, and I still believe there is hope that he is alive.”
“I’m trusting God for that. I’m not giving up my faith. I’m keeping the faith that he’s okay.” Though separated by miles and by lives that had never crossed before this tragedy, they are now united by the same anxious wait. They continue to believe that Rachel Wells and her three young children, Raymond Sumra, Antoine Harcourt, Rawle Frank, Chief Engineer Paul Seepersaud and every other person still unaccounted for will somehow be found and returned safely to the families who have refused to stop believing.