No answers yet as to why deckhand died in sinking vessel near Halifax

Federal investigators still don't know why a 24-year-old mandied aboard a sinking boat near Eastern Passage, N.S., whiletwo others on boardmanaged to escape to safety.

Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board have interviewed thetwo survivors who were aboard the Captain Jim when it began taking on water earlyTuesday, but there are no clear answers as to whydeckhand Max Hinchdidn't make it to the life-raft with the others.

"It raises questions like, where was he at the time? Was he wearing a PFD? And why wasn't he on deck with the other ones?" saidPierre Murray, manager of regional operations for the board in Atlantic Canada.

The 13-metre,fibreglass-hulled boatwas owned by RMI Marine, a marine services operation based in Eastern Passage. Hinch, who was engaged and had a four-year-old son,started working with RMI lastJuly, according to a post on hisFacebookpage.

Though the Captain Jimwas aCape Islander-style lobster boat, Murray saidit was never used for fishing. It sank while returning to shore after collecting fuel samples from a large tanker anchored farther out.

It's not clear why the Captain Jim began to sink.Murray saidthe sea was calm at the time, with winds about 20 knots and 1.5-metre waves. Officials withRMI Marine have also said they don't know why the boat went down.

The boatran into trouble at 2 a.m. Twentyminutes later, it was underwater. During that time, two people aboard the boat managed to make it into a life-raft. They were eventually picked up by a pilot boat.

Navy divers found Hinch's body inside the sunken vessel later that morning.

Murray said the boardis trying to determine why Hinch didn't make it into the life-raft.

"I've seen a lot of boats sink within seconds," he said. "So 20 minutes is a fairly good amount of time to abandon vessel."

The investigation is still in the early stages. Murray expects it could take the board more than a year to get answers.

Friends of Hinch have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his family in Cole Harbour. The online fundraiser describes Hinchas "a wonderful and kind soul."

As of Wednesday evening, more than $6,000 had been raised.