THE family of missing fisherman Andel Daniel, 45, is relieved after he returned safely to shore on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Buccoo native left Buccoo Bay to put bait on his fish-attracting device (FAD).

But by nightfall, when relatives and friends realised he had not returned, they began to panic. Some spent the night at the jetty.

Their prayers were answered when they saw Daniel returning to shore in his boat the next day.

One of his sisters told him: “You know when your mother calls me frantic what does go on. She was down here last night. We sleep here, we didn’t go home. You don’t know! Don’t ever do your sister that.”

Daniel responded: “You too sweet,” as he hugged his two sisters.

He said after he set his bait, his engine began to overheat.

“You can't run the engine while it's overheating, because it would mash up the engine. So I anchored down and wait a while, then run again and it still overheat, so I anchored down. As I take off again, it start to overheat one time.

"So I say, probably the sun too hot or whatever, so I said let me stay till this morning, leave it overnight.”

He said on Thursday morning, he ran the boat for approximately a mile, then saw boats nearby and realised he was home.

He said he was approximately four miles offshore.

“Is right there I was. The plan was to go out there and come back in an hour and a half.”

He said he was unable to contact anyone overnight.

“My phone fell, and the screen blanked off. My radio mash up – them radios nowadays don’t last too long.”

He said he was glad to be home.

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