For those who have not heard, surfcaster Al Pelini's body was recovered this morning at cuttyhunk. Many of the rhode islanders and block island guys know him, although it's been some time, I've had the pleasure to surfcast with him. My thoughts and prayers...

al from long island? stayed there months on end....

Yes that's correct, from NY...Real diehard surf fisherman...
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Sad.... Was just introduced to him a few months ago.....

RIP Al....real nice guy and damned good fisherman.

Wow that's terrible. I did t know him well but ran into him on cutty last fall. Nice guy. RIP

I actually think he was from westchester county in ny, not long island.
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Any idea what happened? Fall from boat? Slip in the surf? Was he reported missing? Sad news and my condolences to all who knew him.

Of all the fishermen that pass on to the afterlife, this one hits home.
I got the call this AM and was devestated.
Fished with "Uncle" Al several times over at my island. Last nite I fished over there last fall, we swam and fished together. Was one of the best nites of fishing and not catching I have ever had.
Last time I saw him he was swimmin off into the pitch darkness headed for another rock in search of a supa cow. Like TC, he was my mentor for wetsuiting.
Rest in peace. May it be eternal supa cows for you.

This news hurts. RIP Al.

DZ

devastating loss to everyone that knew him
maybe the best surfcaster I've ever had a chance to fish with
He will be missed by many

Very sad, RIP

Very sad news ....someone so skilled
yet this still happened.... a lesson to all.
My condolences to family and friends.

Rest your oar, Al.

Sad news! I remember walking out to naps maybe 7-8 years ago and I was bookin' it out there. This older guy with a wetsuit booked it by me - almost running to get out there. Ended up meeting him for the first time out there and fishing the night out there with him. Really nice guy who knew what surfcasting was all about! Rest in peace Al.

Met him last summer after an all nighter... he was killing time waiting to get the ferry to block for a week. I talked to him for about 20 minutes. He was incredibly friendly... May God rest his soul and comfort his friends and family as they mourn his loss.

That is terrible. Talked to him one morning on BI. Cowhunter told me who he was. Very sad. May he rest in peace
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Holy *&^%$.
I am devastated. I fished with Al many, many times. Absolute great guy, great fisherman and a true character of the surf fishing old guard.

The last time I fished with and saw Al was at the mouth of Narrow River one Oct night when we had crushed the bass. My memory of Al will be him in a wet suit standing in the parking lot of the Dunes Club laughing his a$$ off at the great fishing we had just experienced.

RIP Al. My heart is saddened.

I 'd run into him from time to time fishing Rhody in the fall. Hell of a fisherman. Hope he had a good fish on when he went.Too many people you get to know aren't there anymore the older you get.Hope those blrpls I gave you worked.Tight lines.

RIP Al.......

Things can go wrong for even the most experienced casters.RIP Al.

Very sad news, RIP Al.
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very sorry to hear this :(
My condolences to his family and friends

Thoughts and prayers to all who knew him.

Sorry so many have lost a friend.

This is eatin at me and curious as to what happened?
Anyone got any better info?????
Thanx

Sympathy to his family and loved ones.

I tried to find any newspaper articles on it but I could not find anything. Usually this type of tragedy makes the news.

This is eatin at me and curious as to what happened?
Anyone got any better info?????
Thanx

Mike, I spoke with Charlie at CMS this morning and he didn't know. he knows the guys Al hung with and he's gonna call Pat or Jack and see if he can get any news

I'd heard nothing but good things about "uncle Al" my sympathies to his friends and families.
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such a nice guy. He took a 60 from the surf out on BI in the early 80's.. I will try to find the picture, as it is probably one of my most favorite bass photos of all time.

here he is..

Gallery - Category: Club Photos - Image: Narragansett Surf (http://narragansettsurfcasters.com/club/index.php/photo-gallery/club-photos/narragansett-surf-11#)

Never had the pleasure of meeting him, but from reading all the great things you guys have said it seems like I really missed out. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends. RIP

here he is..

Gallery - Category: Club Photos - Image: Narragansett Surf (http://narragansettsurfcasters.com/club/index.php/photo-gallery/club-photos/narragansett-surf-11#)

His facial expression and posture in that picture are priceless! Pretty amazing fish too. Thanks for posting that. I'd be pretty pleased if someone had a pic of that to share after I'm gone.

RIP. The comments in this thread help tell the story of the fine person he must have been.

Seems like he was truly devoted to his passion, and had the means to enjoy it for many years. RIP Mr Pellini.
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His facial expression and posture in that picture are priceless! Pretty amazing fish too. Thanks for posting that. I'd be pretty pleased if someone had a pic of that to share after I'm gone.

RIP. The comments in this thread help tell the story of the fine person he must have been.

He was. :uhuh:

Thank you to everyone for your kind words about my dad - I know it would have meant so much to him to hear such great things from his friends in the fishing community.

As you can imagine, our family is still in shock and morning the loss of our father, husband, grandfather and friend.

There are still many unanswered questions about my dad's death and we are awaiting a report from the Boston medical examiner tomorrow. I will do my best to let you all know of the findings.

Although we do not yet have funeral plans because the ME has not released my dad for burial, we know that the funeral will be at Hill Funeral Home in East Greenwich, RI.

As you know, my dad's #1 love (apart from his family) was striper fishing and in the end, he died doing what he loved.

God bless you and your family.



Thank you to everyone for your kind words about my dad - I know it would have meant so much to him to hear such great things from his friends in the fishing community.

As you can imagine, our family is still in shock and morning the loss of our father, husband, grandfather and friend.

There are still many unanswered questions about my dad's death and we are awaiting a report from the Boston medical examiner tomorrow. I will do my best to let you all know of the findings.

Although we do not yet have funeral plans because the ME has not released my dad for burial, we know that the funeral will be at Hill Funeral Home in East Greenwich, RI.

As you know, my dad's #1 love (apart from his family) was striper fishing and in the end, he died doing what he loved.
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Deepest condolences for your loss.

very sorry for your loss

Sorry for the loss. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, however i wouldbt be surprised if we crossed paths on block at one time or another.

Very saddened to hear this. I did not know know him well but our paths crossed on dark nights a several times on BI back in the 80's. I recall a couple conversations. Damn good fisherman.

My sympathies to his family.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words about my dad - I know it would have meant so much to him to hear such great things from his friends in the fishing community.

As you can imagine, our family is still in shock and morning the loss of our father, husband, grandfather and friend.

There are still many unanswered questions about my dad's death and we are awaiting a report from the Boston medical examiner tomorrow. I will do my best to let you all know of the findings.

Although we do not yet have funeral plans because the ME has not released my dad for burial, we know that the funeral will be at Hill Funeral Home in East Greenwich, RI.

As you know, my dad's #1 love (apart from his family) was striper fishing and in the end, he died doing what he loved.

I respect your time of grievence, but this has still been eatin at me. Though my time talking with and fishin with your dad was limited to when he would be visiting my island, I always walked away cherishing the moments. Though we may never know, I would be appreciative of any update as to what happened.
Again, my condolences to you, your family, and all those who he touched.
Respectfully,
Mike Veracka

Hi all,

Again, thank you all for your outpouring of support for my dad. We have been reading your blog posts over and over and mom crys every time to think that dad was so well loved in the fishing community. It's funny, we all knew he loved to fish, but we really had no idea how many people he touched as a result.

I know so many of you would like to know what happened and I'm very sorry to report that the medical examiner has now concluded that the cause of death was accidental drowning and not heart attack or some other cause. This news was particularly devastating to our family as I know it will be to all of you. What is most surprising to me is that this happened to my dad who ALWAYS taught me to respect the ocean and never turn my back on the surf. We knew dad took risks fishing, but I always trusted that the risks were reasonable and that he had taken proper precautions to avoid injury. When I asked, he told me that he always wore a life vest when wet suiting. Clearly in this case he was not wearing a life vest and he was fishing alone which was not smart.

A special thank you to all who were involved in the search and recovery of his body. We hope to be in contact with you shortly to express our thanks personally.

I know my dad wouldn't have been living if he couldn't fish and he died doing what he loved, but he left a huge hole in our lives that will never be filled. If no other good comes from dad's death, I hope that all of you guys will recognize the risks associated with your sport and not take undue risk (especially as you get older) if only for the sake of your families.

For those who are local, dad's wake will be held at Hill Funeral Home in East Greenwich, RI this Wednesday from 5 - 8pm and his funeral will be the following day at 10am at Our Lady of Mercy also in East Greewich.

My kindest regards,

Mike

Mike, I am sorry about the loss of your father.
It sounds as if he lived life fully and left a positive mark on many others, the very definition of a life well lived.

As for how he died, the medical examiner report unfortunately does not always tell the full story. Cardiac arrhythmias often cause sudden death and leave no sign of heart attack. Such events often result in several gasping breaths after loss of consciousness and, if occurring in water, would cause aspiration that on autopsy would look like drowning. Your father was very experienced swimming in a wetsuit and the suit provides a lot flotation. There is a good chance something caused him to lose consciousness before he passed.

Very sorry for the loss of your father. RIP Al.

Mike I am truly sorry for your loss. Back in 2003 or 04 perhaps I was on the ferry coming back from Block Island with Cowhunter, Ken noticed your dads hands and pointed them out to me, they were all scraped up with pad marks from all the fish he had caught the night before. We started talking to him (Ken mostly) and it took a while for him to warm up to us but we engaged in great conversation about Block Island all the way back to Point Judith. He was a great conversationalist as well as some what of a mentor, in his own way, to many, many, younger surf men. He will be sadly missed. Thoughts and prayers to all his loved ones, Bob C

Mike, our sincere condolences on your father's passing. He was very well liked and very well respected.

Condolences to you and your family on the loss of your father.

This is pretty tough to swallow and I really appreciate you letting everyone know the actual circumstances of his death. I would be willing to bet that most of us assumed that he did not pass due to accidental drowning based on his years of experience.

I am so sorry that you and your family have to deal with the death of a loved one this way. I can not even imagine.

I wish you all the best as you and your family move forward.

Link to Al's obituary. May you rest in peace.

Hill Funeral Home of East Greenwich : Obituaries (http://www.hillfuneralhome.com/obituaries.html)

DZ

Sorry for your loss, sounds like a great guy wish I had met him.