Northumberland OPP have located the body of a missing North York fisherman, who had been swept into canal waters in the Municipality of Trent Hills the day before.
The remains of Antonio Figueira, 33, were found Monday about 400 metres from the spot he was last seen, around 4 p.m. the day before.
NORTH YORK: Body of missing fisherman found.
A team mate, Jessica, sent me this link saying she wished she were writing under better circumstances. Upon reading it, I was in shock.
“Hey Jess .. wow, i’m still in denial .. are you sure it’s the same Antonio we know?” was my reply. “Damn, antonio is the invincible beast! It’s just unthought of to see him go like that …”
It’s not often that you see someone you know make headline news. It is most unfortunate, when that name you know is associated with the words remains, body or corpse.
Antonio Figueira was one heck of a beast. He was a huge man and from where I was sitting, I always saw him as THE engine room just because I was sure he could paddle for all eight guys. Whenever I thought Scotia or Black Pearl, Antonio was one of the first few people to come to mind.
Although I did not paddle consistently on the Black Pearl, and so did not know him all that well, from what I do know of him, he was a pretty helpful and fun loving guy, full of enthusiasm. He helped paddle on the Seawolves when they were young, paddled on Scotia Rouge and even offered to personally sponsor half of the entry fee to the Disney Dragonboat races this October. In fact, I was just thinking about possibly joining his boat a few days ago.
My last vivid memory of him was last season, when the Carps were going to throw me into the water following our victory. I was putting up a good fight and not going down easy. That was until Antonio showed up randomly to help the cause. As soon as I saw him grab my limbs, I decided to save my energy for getting out of the water. I knew resistance would be futile. He just jumped into the midst of the fun and you hafta love him for that! (Even though I got dunked in the water.)
He was such a huge guy, so seemingly infallible. He was definitely no stranger to water, in fact I associate him most strongly with paddling.
It was a shock that the water was what claimed him. In fact, if a lesson should be learnt from this tragic event, treat it as a warning that even a man as big as Antonio could be swept away by the currents. Be careful when you’re out there near the fast moving water.
I am still somewhat in denial that he is gone as I write this.
Antonio, you’ll be missed.
