Simon Bugeja, the owner of the ill-fated Simshar, lives for his family and the sea, spending every cent he had on his boat, his uncle Joe Gafa' said.

Interviewed briefly by timesofmalta.com, Mr Gafa and Joe Incorvaja, a former colleague of Mr Bugeja, spoke about the Bugeja family's strong bond with the sea, and how a fisherman's life remains one of the toughest.

Simon Bugeja was dramatically rescued form the sea on Friday, hours after fishermen found the corpse of his father. The search for Simon's 11-year-old son Theo is continuing.