On a windswept Thursday at Barbados’ Oistins jetty, where the Atlantic Ocean’s salt spray hung heavy in the air and waves crashed against the rocky shore, a tight-knit fishing community came together to honor two lives torn away by the sea they called work. For more than 60 days, the families of Othniel Harewood and Zhi Cai Su have clung to fragile uncertainty, even after an exhaustive, multi-agency search across regional waters turned up no trace of the two missing men. Thursday’s memorial service, steeped in maritime tradition and quiet spiritual reflection, marked a long-awaited step toward closure for a community that has always lived with the ocean’s dual nature: provider and taker.
The somber gathering opened with a congregation of fishermen, family members, and local leaders joining in unison to sing the hymn “Lead us, Heavenly Father, lead us,” followed by scripture readings that acknowledged both the awe-inspiring wonder and unforgiving danger of the deep. In a centuries-old gesture of respect for fallen mariners, loved ones and fellow fishermen carried floral wreaths and loose flower petals to the edge of the jetty, casting them into the rolling current. The drifting blooms carried a dual meaning: a final tribute to the men’s last voyage, and a symbolic act of letting go after months of suspended grief.
Officiating the service, Reverend Ricardo Alleyne paid tribute to the unique grit that defines men who make their living on open water. He described Harewood and Su as people of extraordinary courage and relentless perseverance, noting that fishermen set out to sea with little more than starlight for navigation and faith for comfort, all to support their families and feed their nation. “We gather to honor these two sons of the sea who have completed their last voyage,” Alleyne told the crowd. He added that while the loss has carved deep sorrow into the entire community, Barbados must celebrate the indomitable spirit of the people who put food on the country’s tables.
Karusha Savoury, Harewood’s second daughter, spoke publicly about the pain of the past two months, and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the widespread support her family has received from the national government, the Barbados Coast Guard, and the Oistins Fisherfolk Association. Unlike many families who grieve privately, Savoury said the coordinated search effort — which included drone surveillance and regional safety alerts — gave her family a measure of peace they would not have had otherwise. “I never thought that I would have a memorial service for my father in this way,” Savoury shared. “But the service was very well planned, and I really appreciate what the fisherfolk have done and what the ministry has done to put this together to honor my father.” Speaking of the long search and the decision to hold a memorial, she added: “I’m satisfied he’s at peace, and as I say, God is in charge, not me. Whatever is God’s will is God’s will. I can’t say that I like fighting towards it, but after this period of time, whatever God does is what God does.”
Even amid the day’s sorrow, a thread of quiet resilience and cautious hope runs through the region’s tight fishing community. Neil “Cougar” Bourne, president of the Oistins Fisherfolk Association, reminded the gathering that for seafarers, the greatest victory has never been the size of the catch — it is the safe return home to family. The interconnected nature of the Caribbean archipelago, he noted, means survival is still possible even after weeks of silence from a missing vessel. “In fishing, we don’t celebrate the catch of a fisherman, we celebrate a safe return home to his family, and that is the main thing,” Bourne explained. Acknowledging the ocean’s inherent unpredictability, he pointed to past cases of missing Barbadian fishermen who turned up alive far from home, washing up in Puerto Rico, Honduras and other distant ports. “Every fisherman, once he hasn’t sunk, I think he has a chance of surviving,” Bourne said.
As the floral tributes drifted out with the tide, the collective feeling among the crowd was clear: whether the two men eventually find their way back to shore, or have already reached their eternal resting place, they will remain part of the fabric of Barbadian identity — tough, brave, and woven into the story of the ocean that shapes the nation. For the grieving families, the service offered a much-needed sense of release, allowing them to begin moving through their grief even as their last faint hopes of a safe return drift out with the flowers.