The family of a kayaker, found dead after setting off from Portsoy last weekend, have spoken of their heartbreak at his loss and expressed their hope nobody else suffers the same fate.
Dominic Jackson, 35, died, whilst on a solo trip. His disappearance sparked a massive land, sea and air search until his body was recovered from the water near Lybster on Thursday.
The former oil worker and Fettercairn resident, who was known as Dom to his family and friends, was reported missing on February 5 and his kayak was found near Lybster the following day.
His distraught father, Jeremy, has spoken of his gratitude to everyone involved in the search and praised the “fantastic” community of Portsoy.
The father of six from Uckfield in Sussex had been holidaying in Cumbria when he received a call to tell him Dominic was missing.
Mr Jackson said: “I jumped straight in the car and headed to Portsoy. The community have been fantastic. We even had locals out using drones to search deserted caves in case Dom was in there.
“Sadly, it turned out to be a search and recovery mission instead of search and rescue. But, despite our family’s anguish, we have been touched by the community spirit.
“He’s a huge loss to our family and was much loved.”
His sister, Ellie, has launched an online fundraising drive to create a charity in her brother’s name and promote the use of Personal Locator Beacons among outdoor enthusiasts.
Miss Jackson believes the death was “completely preventable”, if her brother had been wearing one of the safety devices.
She added: “We feel the public has little awareness of how inexpensive technology such as PLBs can be used to prevent tragedies like this. We would like to use his legacy to prevent any other family having to go through the pain of such a senseless waste of life.”
After reaching her initial goal in less than 12 hours, Miss Jackson has pledged to maintain the campaign in an effort to increase public safety.
She explained: “The first £5,000 will be used to set up the charity in Dom’s name. Anything extra will be put into the charity to focus on raising awareness of the use of PLBs amongst water users, and the development of an app and creation of a website.”
“Further down the track, we would be looking to ensure that carrying a PLB at sea is as common as wearing a seatbelt in a car or a lifejacket on the water.”
Donations can be made at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/domjackson