When fisherman Mark Bugeja is out at sea, he constantly scours the water in the hope of spotting Theo Bugeja.
He cannot help himself, even though he knows how remote the possibility is of finding the 11-year-old who was on the ill-fated fishing boat Simshar that disappeared a month ago.
"I keep looking at the water, hoping against hope that I see him," he told The Times.
He admitted that the tragedy has shaken him to the core. "I am no longer the same Mark of before. I am constantly on the lookout for Theo."
Theo's father Simon - the only survivor of the Simshar tragedy which claimed the lives of three other men - has described how the boy died just hours before he was saved by Mark Bugeja on July 18 after a week floating at sea. The boy was not found during an intensive search that was called off over a week later.
Since then, Mr Bugeja, the 28-year-old master of the fishing boat Grecale which found Simon, has been at sea twice, but this tragedy has affected him deeply.
"When you see your friends dead, their bodies decomposed...," he trails off. "It is such a harsh reality."
Simon's father, Karmenu, 61, 33-year-old Noel Carabott and 21-year-old Somali Abdulrahman Abdala Gedi, lost their lives during the ill-fated fishing trip in which their boat sank after what Simon says was a fire in the engine room.
The tragedy has left a scar on the village of Marsaxlokk and veteran fishermen have been shaken by it. Toni Carabott, the president of the Għaqda Koperattiva tas-Sajd, said he sends a text message to his two sons if he does not hear from them while they are out at sea.
His 72-year-old mother, Rosaria, goes a step further - every day she rings her grandchildren on their boats' satellite phone to make sure that nothing has happened to them. "They work on five boats, and during the fishing season she spends most of her pension on satellite calls," he said.
"Marsaxlokk will never be the same again, although we should all learn something from this tragedy."
This weekend, Mr Carabott spent 30 hours preparing fishing lines in a bid to raise money for the families of the Simshar victims. Sitting under a tent in Marsaxlokk's square, just steps away from the bustling market, Mr Carabott explained how he felt he should do something to help. The marathon kicked off at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Mr Carabott had prepared thousands of fishing lines, by tying hooks to nylon, by the time it wrapped up yesterday evening.
Next to him, Martin Caruana was preparing nets. The fishing implements will be sold, with the money going to a special fund set up by the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs together with the National Fisheries Cooperative and Għaqda Koperattiva tas-Sajd, which yesterday handed €15,000 and €1,000 respectively to Minister George Pullicino. Another €23,200 were raised during a 12-hour telethon on Family TV last Tuesday.
Mr Pullicino said he was struck by the sense of solidarity among the fishing community following the tragedy which affected three families. He said a monument to pay tribute to all fishermen is to be erected in Marsaxlokk.
Anyone who would like to donate money towards the Simshar fund can do so through Bank of Valletta account no. 40017401487 and HSBC account no. 089020028050.