The Barbadian owner of the Sea Gypsy, a fishing boat salvaged in local waters recently, said it was a bit of a miracle that the boat ended up in Bermuda.

The 45-foot boat was recovered by Marine and Ports and Marine Police, 13 miles east of St. David's Lighthouse, last week.

The crew of the Sea Gypsy were rescued by a merchant vessel, Lykes Discoverer, which was en route to Charleston, South Carolina some 130 miles north of the Island on December 20. The crew initially ran into trouble on December 18, when they were 210 miles north of Bermuda.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said the Sea Gypsy, which was towed into St. George's Harbour, was found to have only minor structural damage and water in the bilge.

Collector of Customs and Receiver of Wrecks, Winifred Fostine-DeSilva, said that she was waiting on Lloyds of London to ensure that there were no insurance claims.

"The rightful owner has a claim for the boat, but we have to ensure that it is a legitimate claim," said Ms Fostine-DeSilva.

"All salvage fees also have to be paid."

Ms Fostine-DeSilva said a person claiming to be the rightful owner had made contact with the Customs office and they were awaiting notarised verification.

The man claiming to be the owner, Chally Jones, said Lloyds of London was inspecting the boat.

Mr. Jones told The Royal Gazette that he had not expected to see his fishing boat again.

"It was a bit of a miracle that it went where it was supposed to go," said Mr. Jones, general manager of Blue Ribbon Co. Ltd.

Mr. Jones said that he was awaiting the final costs from Customs for the salvage and the pumping out of the boat, so that he can make the trip here and collect his vessel.

He said he had recently purchased the Sea Gypsy in Newfoundland and it was being brought to Barbados when her crew ran into trouble.

"They were due to stop in Bermuda to re-fuel and then make their way down to Barbados," said Mr. Jones.

Marine surveyor Ronald Ross, acting for Lloyds of London's local agents Friensenbruch-Meyer Insurance, said yesterday that he looked at the Sea Gypsy to see if she was able to make the voyage to Barbados.

However, Mr. Ross was unable to comment as to whether the fishing boat could make the journey.