by Cris Italia
The overcast skies and the muddy grounds were erie reminders of the conditions last year, when the Eleni II took to the Atlantic in search of sharks. Aboard the 25-foot fishing vessel were Captain Robert Hammon Sr. and his son, Robert Jr. both of Valley Stream, Robert Wright and Peter Quinn of Island Park.
The Herald exclusively reported the chilling details of a mayday call just 9 a.m. on June 15, 2002 to the Coast Guard. Tragically, the Coast Guard was not able to make out the urgent call for help, and the four men were declared lost at sea that same day.
One year later, participants in the tournament were optimistic, but still very cautious about what they were about to encounter.
"You'd be a fool not to think about what happened last year," said Al Caccamo of Brooklyn. "The ocean is a powerful element and anything can happen." Caccamo competes each year, and believes that ultimately the decision to go out to sea is the captain's. "The captain has to know if this is somewhere they shouldn't be," Caccamo said. "It was a tragic event, what happened last year, but they were big boys. They were experienced fisherman."
Since the loss of the four men, the Hudson Anglers organization has been under heavy criticism. Some believe the event should have been canceled because of the 5-foot waves. Conditions that became too treacherous for the Eleni II. To this day, little is known about how the Eleni II was damaged or what the four men had to encounter on the day before Father's Day.
"It could have been anything," Caccamo said. "If the ocean wants to swallow you it will -- it doesn't matter if the weather is bad or good."
Hudson Anglers believe they were not responsible for the ultimate fate of the Eleni II. Event organizers explained that they informed participants of the conditions and the forecast, and in the end the decision was left to each boat's captain. "It was a terrible tragedy last year, there is no doubt about it," said Anglers vice president Jack Yolinsky. "No one knows exactly what happened, but there were 240 boats out there that made their own decisions to either stay in or go out."
There were several changes to the event this year. Last year the weather report was conducted by a weather boat, but this year Hudson Anglers relied solely on the Coast Guard. In addition, each boat entering the contest had to be equipped with a special satellite device that would alert the Coast Guard immediately if the vessel were in distress.
Although most participants agree that the final decision belongs to the boat's captain, some also felt the event should have been postponed. "The tournament last year should have never [taken place]," said David Massa of Baldwin, who noticed that this year their were fewer participants. "Last year's tragedy definitely had an effect on this year. There are a lot lesser people here."
Last year's conditions forced one fisherman to stay away from the Atlantic. "We stayed in last year," said Marty Mifsud of Sunnyside, Queens. "What happened last year can happen any time, but we saw the rain and wind [and] it just wasn't worth it."
Still, the bad press and a lawsuit from the Wright family kept some regulars away from this year's tournament. "This tournament has taken a lot of backlash," said Peter Rao of Hike Grove, N.Y. "I base my decision to go out there on my own research." Rao came in third last year, but each year he studies the weather reports all week just so he can make an informed decision by the start of the contest.
"I'm not downplaying the loss of life," Rao said. "But what happened last year shouldn't be blamed on someone else."
Mayday calls will echo through time
by Cris Italia
The frantic calls of an unidentified fisherman faded with each cry for help. At first a listener might not be able to make out what one of the men aboard the Eleni II said, but knowing what to listen for, it was clear.
"Mayday, mayday ... Mayday, mayday, this is Eleni II, over." The voice, believed to belong to Robert Hammon Jr., cracked with each word. The calls stretched over 52 seconds. June 15, 2002, was the last time anyone would ever hear from the Eleni II or the four fishermen on board.
The previous week, Robert Wright and Peter Quinn of Island Park had won a shark tournament, so they felt confident, even with bad weather, that they could take home the top prize at the 30th Annual Freeport Hudson Anglers Shark Tournament.
The crew, led by captain Robert Hammon Sr., was informed of the weather conditions by the Hudson Anglers. The report had waves coming in anywhere from 4 to 8 feet. While some competitors thought the waters might be too dangerous for them, the Eleni II continued out to sea. The 25-foot Wellcraft pleasure boat might have been overwhelmed by the high waves. Some also believed that the vessel was carrying too much weight.
"Those men died of hypothermia," said George Socca, publisher of Nor'east Saltwater magazine, after the event. "The search did not start quick enough; they could have been saved."
The calls for help a year ago came in around 9:30 a.m. on the morning of June 15. But the static on the call, and the brevity of the alert, left the Coast Guard scrambling for a location. The first search lasted over five hours, until officials went out again -- and this time the search lasted four days.
In addition to bad weather and big waves, the four men had to battle 60-degree water. Eventually the bodies of Robert Hammon Sr. and Robert Wright were found along with debris from the boat, but the deaths of the four fishermen left family members angry and searching for answers.
Wright's family would eventually launch a lawsuit against the Hudson Anglers and the family of Robert Hammon Sr. "Something smells and it's not the fish," Wright family attorney, Lawrence Elovich would later say at a press conference. Asked why he thought the event was not postponed, Elovich blamed it on greed and convenience. "Stupidity. Financial, maybe, because the next day was Father's Day and therefore many of the fisherman would not have gone out the next day."
The lawsuit is currently under review by the Nassau Supreme Court. Elovich says he is waiting for a judge to decide whether the insurance company that handles the Hudson Anglers can be held accoutable. "[Hudson Anglers] do not have any assets," Elovich said. "They state that they are not responsible for tournaments, only third-party injuries."
"The family has been devastated with the loss of a husband and father," he said. "They want to be compensated for his loss."
Elovich added that although Hammon Sr. did not have insurance for the Eleni II and his family claims that he did not have any assets, the lawsuit will commence. "We're assuming that the captain had suffient knowledge of the conditions for the day," Elovich said.
While Hudson Anglers did not comment on the pending lawsuit, a year later, they observed the loss of the four fisherman with a moment of silence.
