Castries, Saint Lucia — June 26, 2025
The families of missing St. Lucian fishermen Antoninus Jn Baptiste, also known as “Chad,” and George Valcin are breathing a collective sigh of relief after a video surfaced online showing Jn Baptiste alive and in good spirits—more than ten days after they were feared lost at sea.
In the video, Jn Baptiste offers a heartfelt and unscripted update from their drifting vessel, revealing that they are still battling strong currents but are now within sight of land. “We’re close to Venezuela… we’ve been sailing with makeshift sails, shirts and all, doing what we can,” he explains. “Yesterday, the current dropped, and we managed to make some good mileage.”
He describes their struggle with unpredictable currents pulling them away from shore despite being just 15 miles from a nearby island, with another landmass—believed to be closer to Aruba—around 54 miles away. “If we stay on course, we should hit the next island by tomorrow,” Jn Baptiste says with cautious optimism.
The video has brought renewed hope to the friends and family who have spent over a week fearing the worst. Although supplies are running low, Jn Baptiste notes that morale remains intact. “Everybody’s doing what they can to stay sane… and we praying. We know all our family and friends praying for us too.”
Efforts to attract passing boats with flares and signals have so far gone unanswered.
Both Antoninus Jn Baptiste and George Valvin were last seen setting out to sea on June 14th. Now, with the latest visual confirmation, hope is rising that their long and perilous drift will soon come to an end.
