A former Mersea couple are picking up the pieces of their lives as Hurricane Ivan continues to wreak havoc in the Caribbean.

Sailmaker David Royce and his wife Jane swapped their life on the north Essex island for one on idyllic Grenada, where they had started a new business.

But the couple had to take refuge in their truck as 125mph winds hit the capital St George's and whipped off the roof of their rented home.

Although homeless and badly shaken, they were unhurt and sought shelter with their friends Ron and Jacqui van Straalen, who moved to Grenada from West Mersea last month.

Back home, friends and relatives in the Colchester area were breathing sighs of relief that they had all survived the storm.

Mrs Royce's sister Ann Cook and her husband John, of Grange Farm Road, West Mersea, heard of their plight while on holiday.

She said: "They have lost the roof of their rented house in St George's. They are building their own property, which is not damaged."

"Their friends from Mersea have taken them in. Jane contacted them and said: 'We have got a swimming pool and a tank full of water, so we are fine'.

"But David's sail-loft workshop is flattened. It is like a pack of cards, but they hope they will be able to salvage things from under the rubble."

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Published Tuesday, September 14, 2004

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