by Kimberly Acevedo and Cris Italia
Wright, 46, had entered a shark contest with the Freeport Hudson Anglers on June 15. Coast Guard officials say that the tides were too high, and that the event should have been canceled.
His passion for fishing had always been well known, and his family made sure his final resting place emulated the ocean. The casket was a blue/gray color, just like the sea.
June 15, an angel came down from heaven. It was his time, said Bob Wilson, a long-time friend of Wright. We are saddened and we have emptiness in our hearts. His spirit is alive. We must keep that spirit in our hearts.
Wilson spoke of Wright as a great family man, and also a loyal friend. Bob took care of a lot of people. He was good with what he did.
His family was his life. He was a kind man, he was a forgiving man.
Loved to fish, loved the sea, Wilson said.
His success and passion for fishing led him to the cover of Nor'east Saltwater Magazine just last month with his friend Peter Quinn.
On the morning of June 15, Anglers representatives said the ocean was fit for their annual competition. With that, Wright and Quinn, both of Island Park, boarded the Eleni II, a ship owned by Robert Hammon Sr., who had his son Robert Jr. with him on that tragic day.
Coast Guard officials say that waves rose up to over seven feet that morning, making it difficult for any vessel to continue in the tournament. Participants of the event started coming back in, but at 9:30 a.m. the Eleni II sent out a distress signal. After the initial "Mayday" call, the vessel and the fisherman were never heard from again.
No traces of a ship wreck have been found, but on Sunday, June 23, Robert Wright's body was found by a fishing boat off the coast of Manasquan, New Jersey. According to the Coast Guard, Wright did not have a life preserver on.
On Friday, two bus loads carrying New York City transit workers came to St. Raymond's Church in East Rockaway to pay their last respects to their colleague.
He was a very quiet guy, but you could talk to him about anything, said Robert Ferguson, a former co-worker at N.Y.C. Transit. Ferguson also said that Wright loved his job working with bus maintenance.
He was a gentle and great man, said Susa Fertig, who knew Wright for over 17 years. Fishing and his family, his children and his wife, were his life.
Wilson recalled memories of his late friend, and he read the fisherman's prayer. I remember that he would sit on the boardwalk during hurricanes and watch the ocean, Wilson remembered. Godspeed my friend, have a safe journey.
