Somewhere at Liverpool docks a set of oversized bronze-cast nautical dividers went missing while being prepared for shipping to Bermuda.

A replacement set is now being made and, when they arrive, they will complete the new memorial to those lost at sea which has been erected at Great Head Park in St. David's.

Standing 16ft tall, the upturned bronze cast of a rowing boat entitled "Figurehead" has been created by celebrated Bermudian poet, sculptor and artist Bill (Mussey) Ming.

It is intended as a lasting memorial to all those Bermudians lost at sea since the discovery of the Island.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, Mr. Ming said he had used an actual derelict rowing boat he found in England, where he has lived since 1971, as the starting point for his latest work of art.

"It was an actual boat, about 100 years old, complete with copper nails," said Mr. Ming.

On the inside of the boat are symbolic items relating to the the sea; a life belt, a paddle, and a sand timer hourglass. The line up will be completed when the replacement set of nautical dividers arrives.

There is also an open book reproducing a section of Allan E. Doughty, Sr.'s poem "The End of Time".

The towering structure weighs 12 tons and is secured by a pipe running deep into the ground. Will it survive a battering from strong winds and passing hurricanes? Mr. Ming believes so, but even Prince Andrew stamped his feet on the surrounding ground to compact the soil for good luck as he unveiled a plaque nearby.

The startling piece now stands like a sentinel forever looking out to sea from the headland at St David's.

A marble floor surround has yet to be added, along with a low wall and the inscribed names of those lost at sea.

Mr. Ming said the bottom of the boat, which faces outwards, is designed to present a mask to the ocean, with two portholes as eyes and a small bronze cast of Bermuda appearing as a teardrop beneath one porthole.

"It has taken six or seven months to complete. We wanted to make it in time for the Island's quincentennial date. It had to be transported from England in four pieces and welded together."

Mr. Ming hopes the work will also act as an inspiration to other young Bermudians to show them what they can achieve and also as a way of giving something back to Bermuda.

At the opening of the memorial, attended by Prince Andrew the Duke of York, the Minister of Community Affairs and Sport Dale Butler, said: "Just over two years ago this Government undertook to provide a memorial for those lost at sea following the tragic loss of Alan Edness and Micah Battersbee on a cold January night.

"For all the joys that the sea provides there can be equal heartache and loss. Through this memorial we intend that families and loved ones of those lost at sea find peace, have an opportunity to reflect on their loss and remember the good that those lost brought to their lives."

He praised the artistic insight of artist Mr. Ming and said that early in the new year a dedication service would be held to mark the installation of the names of those lost at sea, to which the general public will be invited.

A number of families who have lost loved ones at sea attended the Royal plaque unveiling. Among them were Myrtle Edness, Maureen Eddy and Alex Lymbery, the mother, sister and daughter respectively of late fisherman Alan Edness who was lost at sea in a January 2003 storm that also claimed the life of Micah Battersbee. The two men were part of a crew that sailed 300 miles from the Island in an attempt to locate an abandoned yacht only to lose their lives when a freak wave crashed into their boat.

Mrs. Edness said she was very grateful to see such a memorial on the Island.

The three family members were spoken to by Prince Andrew during the ceremony, afterwards Mrs. Eddy said: "I told him my brother was very happy when he was at sea and he replied that most people who work out at sea are happy there."

Another of the bereaved Franzine Burgess, whose Police officer daughter Nicole (Simons) O'Connor, said she had first been told that the memorial was going to be made when she bumped into the Mrs. Shirley Pearman, a member of the Memorial for Those Lost at Sea committee.

She said: "She told me it was going to happen. This is for Nicky."