A Dartmouth family is remembering a crabber who was lost at sea 40 years ago today.

28 year old Paul Goddard had been crabbing off Weymouth on March 12 1983. Tragically he and his boat, the Exuberent, disappeared and he was never found. Former crew member Alan Spencer said: “She was a Cygnus Garry Mitchell design 32-foot displacement hull work boat.

“They were fitted out as fishing vessels, angling boats, pleasure craft and even ferries.

“Exuberent was a South Devon Channel Crab fishing vessel and worked the inshore and mid-Channel waters off the south coast. “Her hull was built in the winter of 1979/80 in Newlyn, Cornwall, fitted out in Dartmouth in the spring of 1980 and commissioned later that summer. “She successfully, laid and hauled crab pots off Dartmouth for the rest of that year and the next and topped the charts for landing of brown crab and lobster for her class in 1981 with a crew of three. “In the winter of 1981 it was decided to move her and her fishing gear to the “Over falls” off Weymouth in Dorset as fishing was rich there at that time of the year. This is when I joined the crew on a parttime basis to cover for rest periods and “watches”. After a successful season, she was moved back to Dartmouth for the 1982 spring/summer fishing in home waters. “Again, in October of 82 she was off to work the waters off Weymouth for another successful season.

“On March 12 1983 she was being brought back to Dartmouth by the” Skipper” alone as the crew moved all the boats husbandry back to Dartmouth by road. “What happened next will never be known exactly. “The boat was overdue in Dartmouth and the alarm was sounded. Search andrescue helicopters and fishermen in their boats combed the areas offChesil Beach, Portland Race and the south coast but to no avail. “Exuberent and her “Skipper” were pronounced lost, and Paul presumed dead two days later.

Paul’s sister Caroline Jacobson remembers: “Wreckage of the boat was found and we suspect the boat might have collided with a submarine, although this cannot be proved.

“Paul had been a professional fisherman for all his working life.

“He was very sociable and he was very well-known around Dartmouth.

“My late father John was a keen Rotarian and was originally a turkey farmer. He used to take people on angling trips when he wasn’t helping Paul with his business.”

Paul also leaves a mother, Shirley and a sister, Philippa Hann. There is a memorial plaque at Bayard’s Cove where Paul used to make up his crab pots.