SA boat owner weeps at double inquest THE sole survivor of a fatal fishing trip has cried while describing how he and his two crewmen clung to his upturned boat in dark, cold waters off South Australia. Andrew Pisani told an Adelaide inquest into the deaths of Adam Mark Nicolai and Justin Shane Hellyer that when the boat sank completely, the two men held onto the life jackets he had handed them just before the three of them were flung into the sea. When Mr Hellyer said he couldn't swim, Mr Nicolai had given him his life jacket to lie on. As Mr Pisani broke down on Tuesday while describing what happened on the night of September 28, 2008, relatives of the two dead men embraced each other and cried. Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel is inquiring into the deaths of Mr Nicolai and Mr Hellyer, both 28, who died off the coast of Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula. Mr Pisani managed to swim to shore. The commercial fisherman told the inquest he had been pulling a net back into the vessel when the wind suddenly "got out of control." "That's when we copped the first big wave," he said. He cut off the net and ran to the front of the boat to try to get some other gear overboard, so they could get back to shallow water. "I knew the boat was going to be gone, so I told the boys to get their wet gear off," Mr Pisani said. He also gave them life jackets, but the boat went straight over when a second wave hit. No one had a chance to put on their jackets or get off their heavy clothing, including rubber boots. "There was no time, no time to do anything," he said. After Mr Pisani went underwater, he managed to get his wet gear off and "tried and tried and tried" to swim to life rings that were adrift, but they floated away. "I said we are going to make a run for it, to swim home," he said. Earlier, marine surveyor Adam Brancher told the inquest the vessel had numerous problems and should not have been out at sea that night. The inquest is continuing.