THE search, joined yesterday by members of the Defence Force, continued for a retired lawyer who failed to return from a bird watching trip in the Clifton Bay area on Sunday.

Anthony (Tony) Hepburn, 72, left early Sunday morning to kayak to Goulding Cay off Lyford Cay to photograph birds that friends had told him were nesting there. Although his kayak has been found, there has been no trace of Mr Hepburn, his Nikon camera, or his binoculars.

An avid bird watcher, his wife, Helen, said he had set out for the cay in his kayak on Saturday, but did not complete the trip. On his return, boasting that he did not get another sunburn, he told her that he was going to set out early the next morning to “get to that cay.”

His wife was still in bed Sunday morning when he left at about 6:30am. He parked his silvery-blue coloured Kai Sorento car (No. 226598) at the end of Bay’s Water Lane next to the empty lot known as Chance’s Point, near Jaws Beach.

The last persons to see him were four men who were working near the dock at Jaws Beach when at about 8am they saw him launch his kayak and set off in the direction of Goulding Cay.

About two hours later – around 10am – a woman walking her dog saw a yellow kayak on the beach just around the point from Jaws Beach. It is not known whether the kayak was pulled up on the beach or washed up by the tide. However, there was no sign of Mr Hepburn.

However, at home, no one realised that he might be in difficulty. His wife left for church, but was not concerned when her husband was not at home when she returned later in the day as he was to go to Kim’s Studio in Okra Hill for a 2 pm art class. But the family knew something was wrong when he was not home by 7pm. A search started immediately. Family and friends covered the area by boat, but found nothing.

Early Monday morning, his son-in-law, Gian Pinosch, set out by boat to look for his father-in-law. The kayak was no longer on the beach where it was last seen on Sunday. However, at about 9am he found it further down the coast in an underwater cave near Blackbeard’s Steps at Clifton Pier.

For the past four days volunteers, sniffer dogs, helicopters and members of the Defence Force and BASRA joined family and friends in a failed search of the Clifton area for Mr Hepburn.

Mrs Hepburn said that they had not listened to the radio and did not realise that a weather alert had been issued. Later in the day the seas had turned rough.

Born in Surrey, Mr Hepburn met his wife in Jamaica where they were married in February 1966, moving to Nassau five months later.

He joined the law firm of Graham Thompson &

Co, eventually becoming a partner. He retired after 40 years with the firm.

In retirement he enjoyed his hobbies of bird watching, art and cycling.

He had planned to join a party of friends on Tuesday for a three-day bird watching trip to San Salvador.

If anyone has any information that might help in the search they are asked to contact the police or Sarah Hepburn Pinosch at 457-3507 or Gian Pinosch at 457-1111.