Village watches in silence as Pere Charles emerges from treacherous waters

JUST after 1pm yesterday, a grief-stricken community looked on in silence at Dunmore East as the Pere Charles emerged from the treacherous sea waters, its much-injured wheelhouse a reminder of the trauma suffered when it was engulfed by a freak wave 10 months ago.

Dotted around the harbour and the seaside village, relatives of the five men lost when the Pere Charles went down gathered with bunches of flowers, prayers in their heads, and questions which they hoped would be answered.

Those who questioned the wisdom or the point of raising two tragedy-filled craft from the seabed off the south-east coast this week should have got their answers in the eyes of those loved ones as they watched the Pere Charles emerging into the sunshine.