Horror as boy of 14 killed by speedboat while snorkelling
Paradise isle tragedy for family on round-world trip
A FAMILY’S dream sailing trip around the world ended in heartbreak when a teenager was killed by a speedboat while snorkelling.
Eddie Jarman, 14, was struck as he checked the anchor of his family’s yacht as it was moored off a paradise island near Tahiti in the South Pacific.
The talented musician’s parents, who sold their £1million home to fund the trip, desperately tried to save the youngster but his injuries were fatal.
His father Harry Jarman, 55, said he saw the speedboat pass before realising what had happened. Describing the scene as rescuers tried to help, he said: ‘It was panic, chaos and there was a lot of screaming.’
Eddie’s mother Barbara Genda, 46, added: ‘It took us at least... a minute to actually realise, to accept in our minds, that the person who they were holding in the water – it was our son.’
The teenager was taken to the shore where he was given emergency first aid, but he could not be revived. The couple, from the village of West Hoathly, West Sussex, returned to the UK with their daughter Amelie, 13, after the tragedy off Moorea island near Tahiti.
Mrs Genda added that her son was ‘so bright with talent and kindness, who loved adventure and the sea’. ‘Eddie had an amazing zest for life,’ she added.
It is understood that legal proceedings are underway following the tragedy. The family were initially unable to afford to repatriate Eddie’s body. However, friends, fellow sailors and well-wishers have donated to a fundraising page – with £33,000 generated so far. The family now hope to continue raising money to set up the Eddie Jarman Young Musicians’ Charity with a target of £100,000.
The teenager, who played piano, violin and double bass, had been due to start a scholarship next year at top private school Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex. The couple had taken a sabbatical from work and sold their three-bedroom home to buy the yacht.
They set sail from Lanzarote in December 2018 and home-schooled the children on board. The family kept a blog as they explored the Caribbean, Colombia and Panama. Entering the Pacific, they visited the Galapagos Islands before arriving in French Polynesia, where they had remained for nine months due to coronavirus restrictions.
Polish-born Mrs Genda, who founded a bespoke furniture company in London, said: ‘Cremation is not possible locally and we cannot leave our boy behind in a foreign country, hence we must repatriate his body for a burial back in England. Unfortunately, we were not covered for the imminent and substantial costs of international repatriation... but amazingly generous people from around the world – sailors, dreamers, good souls, family and friends – have supported us and enabled us to bring Eddie home for burial, though Covid makes the funeral arrangements very challenging.’
She added: ‘In memory of his life and his love for music we are setting up a trust fund which will fund music and school tuition for talented youngsters. We are immensely grateful for any and all donations made to help us bring Eddie home for burial.’
She insisted: ‘Eddie loved music more than anything. He often said that he could not imagine living without music, either playing it or listening to it.’ Writing on the justgiving.com fundraising page, she said of her beloved son: ‘Mature well over his 14 years, he has made an indelible mark on everyone he has met.’ She added of the planned charity: ‘In his memory, let other children enjoy music as much as he has in his short but wonderful life.’
‘Our boy had an amazing zest for life’