The son of a missing East London angler who spotted his father’s body floating in the sea off Mazeppa Bay from a helicopter in fading light has spoken briefly of his anguish and helplessness.It is suspected that fisherman and pioneering East Coast farmer Mark Lutge, 55, might have suffered a heart attack on Sunday before falling into the sea and drowning.
Another theory is that he fell and was knocked unconscious.
His grieving son Craig, 28, speaking from Mazeppa Bay hotel yesterday, said: “It was too late.”
Family spokesman Saun Staffen said: “It was tough for Craig. They were hovering close to the body but had no hoist.”
His body had still not been recovered.
“We have seen nothing the whole day. The wind blew east and the water was choppy,” said Staffen.
Staffen said Lutge, who was a super fit cyclist and had shed 20kg off his 100kg body in recent years, called his wife, Renay, on Saturday night saying he was not feeling well.
Nine days before he went missing in the sea, Lutge finished the gruelling three-day 265km Sani2C race in 15 hours, 13 minutes and 26 seconds together with Bryan James. They came 281st out of 675 finishers.
He was also an experienced angler.
Lutge went missing off the point near Cable Rock, a few hundred metres west of Mazeppa Bay island, soon after 10.30am on Sunday.
His body was spotted twice on Sunday, but with three helicopters and a light plane in the air and police, family and friends searching 12km along the coast, the body had still not been recovered.
Staffen said they were focusing on a bay near Wavecrest 15km to the west and 2km offshore.
Lutge, a grandfather of two, was married to Renay, and together had sons, Craig, and Neil, 30.
He farmed tomatoes and cattle on Anita, Wattle Cove and Red Hill farms near Lilyfontein outside East London.
Mazeppa Bay Hotel manager Pearl Herman said Lutge was part of a 16-strong bunch of anglers, guests of the East London operation of a national packaging corporation.
“Mark decided to go further along towards the Boiling Pot and try his luck. A local guy from one of the cottages who was also fishing, noted a body in the water and thought he was snorkeling. A wave came and dropped the guy and he realised something was wrong.
“They found his cap in the water. He had just disappeared. He is a very good fisherman, very experienced.”
His broken fishing rod was found nearby submerged in a gulley, said Staffen.
Herman said the body was sighted a nautical mile (1.8km) offshore on Sunday afternoon before sunset.
She said the company had brought guests to the hotel for the last 30 years, and that Lutge was one of the original group members.
“The gillies went up to all fishermen and asked them to stop fishing in respect of the fisherman who had lost his life. They all did. It was lines up.”
By yesterday the hotel had become a centre for the search which involved about 30 people.
Staffen said: “Mark was the godfather to all of us (15) tomato growers and beef farmers. He pioneered tomato growing here. There was nothing he didn’t know. If we had a problem, we’d call Mark Lutge. He would bend over backwards to help anybody. He had that in him.
“He was a farmer, born and bred. He went to Lilyfontein Primary and Port Rex, then called East London Technical College. In the last 10 years when he started cycling, he grew stronger. He lost all his weight.
“He loved fishing.”
Angler’s son sees father’s body in sea
Another theory is that he fell and was knocked unconscious.
His grieving son Craig, 28, speaking from Mazeppa Bay hotel yesterday, said: “It was too late.”
Family spokesman Saun Staffen said: “It was tough for Craig. They were hovering close to the body but had no hoist.”
His body had still not been recovered.
“We have seen nothing the whole day. The wind blew east and the water was choppy,” said Staffen.
Staffen said Lutge, who was a super fit cyclist and had shed 20kg off his 100kg body in recent years, called his wife, Renay, on Saturday night saying he was not feeling well.
Nine days before he went missing in the sea, Lutge finished the gruelling three-day 265km Sani2C race in 15 hours, 13 minutes and 26 seconds together with Bryan James. They came 281st out of 675 finishers.
He was also an experienced angler.
Lutge went missing off the point near Cable Rock, a few hundred metres west of Mazeppa Bay island, soon after 10.30am on Sunday.
His body was spotted twice on Sunday, but with three helicopters and a light plane in the air and police, family and friends searching 12km along the coast, the body had still not been recovered.
Staffen said they were focusing on a bay near Wavecrest 15km to the west and 2km offshore.
Lutge, a grandfather of two, was married to Renay, and together had sons, Craig, and Neil, 30.
He farmed tomatoes and cattle on Anita, Wattle Cove and Red Hill farms near Lilyfontein outside East London.
Mazeppa Bay Hotel manager Pearl Herman said Lutge was part of a 16-strong bunch of anglers, guests of the East London operation of a national packaging corporation.
“Mark decided to go further along towards the Boiling Pot and try his luck. A local guy from one of the cottages who was also fishing, noted a body in the water and thought he was snorkeling. A wave came and dropped the guy and he realised something was wrong.
“They found his cap in the water. He had just disappeared. He is a very good fisherman, very experienced.”
His broken fishing rod was found nearby submerged in a gulley, said Staffen.
Herman said the body was sighted a nautical mile (1.8km) offshore on Sunday afternoon before sunset.
She said the company had brought guests to the hotel for the last 30 years, and that Lutge was one of the original group members.
“The gillies went up to all fishermen and asked them to stop fishing in respect of the fisherman who had lost his life. They all did. It was lines up.”
By yesterday the hotel had become a centre for the search which involved about 30 people.
Staffen said: “Mark was the godfather to all of us (15) tomato growers and beef farmers. He pioneered tomato growing here. There was nothing he didn’t know. If we had a problem, we’d call Mark Lutge. He would bend over backwards to help anybody. He had that in him.
“He was a farmer, born and bred. He went to Lilyfontein Primary and Port Rex, then called East London Technical College. In the last 10 years when he started cycling, he grew stronger. He lost all his weight.
“He loved fishing.”
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