ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — Friends of Recaldo “Rick” Thomas gathered at the Skullgerry bar and café in Antigua to celebrate the life of their lost countryman.
Thomas was described as a “lover of life with a warm smile who was always thinking of others,” Gemma Handy wrote in The Observer.
The Antiguan chef was one of seven people who perished on Mike Lynch’s yacht on August 19.
Clive Thomas, a boat painter and friend of Recaldo Thomas, was on hand for the wistful remembrance.
“Last season he was here and we were hanging together,” Clive Thomas said. “I was at his house with him as well so it is kind of like really, really sad that he had to go this way. My condolences goes out to all his family. Gone but not forgotten, you know? He was my boy, my friend. Respect.”
The sinking of the Bayesian superyacht during a violent storm off the coast of Sicily captured the hearts, fears and imaginations of people around the world.
The 58-year-old Thomas was the first confirmed death of the 22 people on board. Many news outlets spelled his name as “Ricardo Thomas” or “Renaldo Thomas,” adding the anguish of heavy doubt to all who knew Recaldo.
Cooking for Lynch was supposed to be one of his last jobs before retiring, his cousin, David Isaac, told the Associated Press.
Recaldo’s body was recovered the same day the “unsinkable” superyacht sank — and when it did — the hopes and dreams of seeing Thomas once again also died.
The Italian coast guard said that the superyacht had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.
Mike Lynch’s body was recovered three days after his yacht sank.
He had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial in the United States
Thomas was born in Canada, but he visited his parents’ homeland of Antigua as a child and moved permanently to the tiny eastern Caribbean island in his early 20s.
Best known as “Rick” he started working as a bartender in Jolly Harbor so he could be close to the sea, his second love after cooking, Isaac said.
Friends and patrons gathered at the Skullgerry bar to honor Thomas, where he used to socialize with other harbor workers whenever he was on land.
“He was my boy, my friend – respect,” said Clive Thomas, a boat varnisher who knew the chef for 30 years.
And in a little bar where he used to socialize in Antigua, the cherished memories of Recaldo Thomas lived on past long his death — or at least for one night.
“I think I am feeling the same way that all his friends are feeling, it is very hard,” mariner Don Hughes said. “I got friends crying on WhatsApp messages and most of the people that he knows are my friends as well, you know what I mean?”
