Body of missing Wickham sailor found not far from his overturned boat
Friends of a missing sailor from Wickham are remembering him as a one-of-a-kind man who always had a smile on his face and was always the first to lend a hand to others.
"Chris Pittner will forever go down as the most unique and wonderful man I've had the pleasure of knowing, said Eric Webster.
Webster said Pittner's body was discovered on Wednesday near the wharf in Hampstead, not far from where his overturned sailboat was found last week.
Webster said it was "oddly relieving" when the RCMP called to tell him they had found Pittner's body.
"Because I literally knew from the minute I heard [what happened] that Chris wasn't coming home."
After the call from the RCMP on Wednesday, Webster posted on Facebook, "I had been sure of this outcome since the night, eight nights ago, that I received that phone call. Even still, that slight possibility had me cresting knolls expecting to see him walking home, or seeing him in his yard when I pulled in."
He said he's relieved that feeling "is gone, and we all get to see a good man put to rest properly."
Webster met Pittner 12 years ago when he bought a camp on Bald Hill Road in Wickham, near Pittner's property.
Pittner had grown up in Ontario, but moved to the area with his mother more than 20 years ago, said Webster.
The two discovered that they had a lot in common besides location. They both had hobby farms and they both enjoyed four-wheeling and sail boats.
Webster said it was impossible not to like Pittner. He always had a smile on his face and was always glad to see people.
Pittner was "just one of those guys where you could stop by his house any day, any time, and he would be at the door with open arms and a smile on his face ... And every single person that I talked to about him says the exact same thing.
"Chris was just the most content man that you'll ever meet. He didn't have a lot to his name and it didn't ever bother him."
He cherished his $500 motorcycle like someone else would cherish their $50,000 motorcycle, said Webster.
"He was just an extremely content and happy man."
Webster said his friend was also a hard worker.
"He did odd jobs for people all over the countryside," and that's why he knew so many people, said Webster.
"Chris was the type of guy to drop anything to give you a hand. Anybody you talk to will say that, that he would give you the shirt off his back, give you a hand and not want anything in return. And so pure."
Friends who sailed together
Early in the summer this year, Webster did some electrical work for a guy who had a small sailboat, known as a daysailer, practically hidden underneath a bunch of stuff in his garage.
Webster took the boat on trade for the work that he did, and soon, he and Pittner were out on the St. John River trying it out.
Webster said Pittner loved sailing and often went out on Webster's boats, but he didn't have one of his own, so he ended up buying that boat from Webster.
Pittner soon became a regular sight on the waterways around Wickham and Belleisle Bay. The boat didn't have a motor, so he'd go as far as he could manage under sail power only and then he'd often camp out for the night.
"Unbelievably," said Webster, Pittner had named the boat Mugwump.
"Chris and I used that name as a way to describe if something went wrong, 'You've been mugwumped.'"
Webster stopped by Pittner's place on Sept. 25, and Pittner was working on the boat. He was planning to go out for a sail two days later "and see how far he could get," recalled Webster of his conversation with Pittner.
Two days later, a farmer haying on Long Island — not far from the wharf in Wickham where Pittner was last seen — discovered the boat overturned on the shore. Pittner's life jacket, sleeping bag and a bag of snacks were still inside, and the sail was still up.
'Honoured to have gotten to know him'
Webster isn't sure what happened to his friend, but says that area of the St. John River around Long Island can experience changing winds conditions.
He suspects a strong gust of wind may have knocked him overboard. He believes Pittner would have tried to swim for his boat, rather than straight to shore. And since the sail was still up, the boat would likely have gotten away from him.
Pittner had COPD — a lung condition that affects one's breathing — and Webster suspects Pittner soon got winded and wasn't able to make it back to shore.
On Wednesday night, Webster was at Pittner's home, straightening things up for a visit from Pittner's mother.
"The reminders of Chris and his beautiful personality were everywhere," he wrote on Facebook. "I truly feel honoured to have gotten to know him over the years.
"I'll be thinking of you all the time Chris, keep on sailing buddy. Love you."
