WITH blood oozing from the bullet wound in his left arm, ‘Burrucks’ swam seven-and-a-half hours, all the while praying that the men who had stolen his boat and murdered his co-pilot would think that he too had died and not bother to track him down.

His prayers were answered and a group of fishermen eventually plucked his tired body from the sea and carried him to shore in their canoe.

The fisherman recalled that he stayed under water for several minutes after he was shot, and came up for air some distance away from the death scene.

When the Port Royal fisherman, who gave his name as “Burrucks”, visited the Observer on Wednesday, bandages still covered the entry and exit wounds on his left arm.

The incident, although two weeks old, was still fresh in his mind.

In fact, Burrucks told the Observer that he would never forget the day he and his co-pilot were held up at gunpoint, shot and their boat stolen while they were fishing near Bushy Cay.

“We were in a 28-footer fishing boat. About 1:50 in the morning, we were catching fish when a boat pull up beside wi, wid two men. Dem ask for a cigarette, and wi sey we noh have any. Den one a de man tell de next one fi hold on to wi boat,” Burrucks told the Observer.

According to Burrucks, one of the men used his hand to hold on to the boat, while the other came up with a gun, and ordered him and his co-pilot to give them the boat engine and its contents.

Burrucks said the men then aimed their guns at him and his co-pilot and fired.

“Immediately him fire pon me. And after me get de shot, me drop overboard. After me drop, me hear another shot, and hear when me co-pilot drop overboard. It look like him come up after and start argue wid de man dem; and me hear two more shot. Dat was the last me hear, and mi nuh see him since,” Burrucks said Wednesday at the offices of the Jamaica Observer.

Burrucks’ story is not unique as a number of fishermen say they have been attacked at sea in recent times.

Inspector Oral Harrison of the Marine Police yesterday confirmed the latest incident. He said both the Marine Police and the Coast Guard have been conducting searches for the stolen boat.

“We have not yet determined the reason for these attacks, but we know of this incident and we are aware of others along the South Coast,” Harrison disclosed.

Harrison said that while the attacks were not frequent, he noted that fishermen with boat engines carrying 65-75 HorsePower (HP) were more at risk.

But this warning was cold comfort for Burrucks, who narrowly escaped with his life. He swam approximately four-and-a-half miles before he was picked up. A small canoe heading to sea rescued the weak, cold and injured Burrucks, who then reported the matter to the Marine Police, which notified the Coast Guard. They were, however, unsuccessful in their searched for Burrucks’ co-pilot.

On Wednesday, Burrucks said he still feared for his life as he felt his attackers could still strike on land if they knew his identity. In fact, this was the reason he opted not to give his full name.

Burrucks said the police have since recovered his boat, minus the engine and the contents on Pigeon Island near Old Harbour Bay. However, Inspector Harrison said he could not confirm that the boat had been recovered. Meanwhile, the fisherman theorised that his co-pilot’s body had been devoured by sharks.