ARUNDEL (WGME) – The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating what caused a boating accident that killed two men last Thursday.
Over the weekend, the daughter of the fishing vessel’s captain, Joe Nickerson, spoke about his life and legacy.
“He just was a very loving and kind man,” recalled Hayley Brown, whose life on the water started at a young age since she was the daughter of a fisherman.
“I used to think it was so cool going to the pier with him, especially in the summertime,” when Cape Porpoise had an influx of tourists, she said..
She said her dad, who was 60 when he died, wasn’t able to get his daughter to fish so he would show off his skills in other ways.
“Instead of teaching me how to make fishing nets, he would use his knots and netting skills to do my hair for school dances,” she said.
Brown said she got a call she never expected on Thursday, when her father’s fishing boat capsized 50 miles off the shore of Maine.
“Completely surreal. We still feel like he’s coming home. He was supposed to be home yesterday and all day we just kept waiting for him to pull in the yard,” she said.
Brown said she is heartbroken and that her father’s death has been especially tough on her son, who looked up to his grandfather.
“He was really looking forward to passing along all of his fishing knowledge and love someday,” she said.
More than anything, Brown said, she wishes she could say “I love you” just one more time.
“I feel like that’s always what people say, is I wish I said it more, but I just truly and truly loved him. He was my dad,” she said.
