Boat of missing fisherman found

Thursday 24th September 2009, 2:59PM BST.

The boat was found off La Plaine Point, west of Sorel Point and Ronez quarry. Picture: Google Earth

A MISSING fisherman is feared dead after search teams found his boat on the sea bed yesterday afternoon.

The vessel, owned by 66-year-old Edward Charles Blanchet, was discovered about 25 metres from the shore in an ‘inhospitable’ stretch of water off La Plaine Point, near Sorel, on the north coast.

Mr Blanchet, a well-known fisherman based at Grève de Lecq, was still missing this morning.

A major search, involving two lifeboats, the Channel Islands Air Search plane and several Harbour, leisure and fishing boats was yesterday scaled down after it was established that the pensioner had not come ashore.

Deputy Harbourmaster Captain Peter Moore today told the JEP: ‘The search has now taken on a new dimension and we are no longer focusing our efforts on looking for someone who is alive.’

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