HILLSBURN, N.S. -- Police have resumed the search for the bodies of five fishermen whose scallop boat sank off the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia nearly two weeks ago.
On Monday, a helicopter was back in the air, flying over a about 100 kilometres of coastline along the Bay of Fundy from the town of Digby, where the ill-fated boat was heading, to the town of Harbourville.
RCMP Sgt. Andrew Joyce said both air and underwater efforts to find the sunken vessel were suspended Dec. 25, in part because of treacherous conditions on the water.
"Our goal right now is to get these men back to their loved ones," Joyce said.
The Chief William Saulis fishing vessel was carrying six men when it sank early in the morning on Dec. 15.
The body of one of its crewmen, Michael Drake, was recovered later that day. The other five men -- Aaron Cogswell, Leonard Gabriel, Daniel Forbes, Eugene Francis and the boat's captain, Charles Roberts -- are still lost.
While the air search had resumed Monday, Joyce said police are working on a partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard to secure better sonar capabilities to search for the sunken vessel in the Bay of Fundy's notoriously ferocious currents.
"The waters are very violent and the current is strong and the waves are so high," Joyce said.
"The sonar capabilities on the platform that we could provide is very much insufficient for those conditions. We're hoping the Canadian Coast Guard will enable us to perform that function."
Joyce said police are searching for the boats in hopes of finding their bodies so they can be taken home to their grieving families.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2020.
