GULFPORT, Fla. — The community of people who live aboard their vessels in Gulfport is a tight-knit group, which is why, since Sunday, they’ve been mourning for their friend, 48-year-old Brian Clough.
Clough’s body was found inside his small liveaboard sailboat, said Gulfport police, who identified Clough Monday after notifying his next of kin.
“He was just who he was,” said Clough’s friend, Dutch. “That was just who he was. There was not a bad thing in him.”
Dutch and others describe Clough as a friendly and fun person to be around.
“It is so unreal. It's just like there is a big hole right now. I mean, I'm happy that he's been found. That there's no doubt. That we don't have to search anymore,” Dutch said. “But the outcome is not what we expected and hoped and were praying for.”
Gulfport police say Clough lived with his dog, Daisy, and those who knew them say the two were inseparable. When they found Daisey on the boat, but no sign of Brian, his friends say they had a feeling something had gone wrong.
“We are also aware of the fact that he would never leave Daisy behind. Or his glasses,” Dutch said. “Which he would be blind without. So, that was the moment that we all thought from this scenario it's going to have an ending that we're not happy with or expected.”
Daisy is now in the hands of close friends who plan to take care of her.
Police say Clough had no close relatives. However, the Gulfport boating community say they were his family.
“Yes, Gulfport is his family,” Dutch saod. “And even when he is not around, we will still be his family. That's the thing that I can say. He will be maybe out of our eyesight, but he will always live further in our hearts.”
For the past day, Dutch and other friends have been gathering to share memories.
“We were laughing and talking about his stories. And we were grieving. And tried to lift each other up by just being there and as a family, as a group, as a community,” he said. “And that's what we are still going to do in his honor, still going. It is a loss, but it also makes the community tighter and tighter, and we will look for each other. If somebody needs help, then this community will stand up for each other.”