The 20-year-old Somerville man was returning to North Queensland for his third season working as deckhand on a prawn trawler.

An arduous and sometimes dangerous job, it meant five months at sea on the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, followed by a month off and then a further four months at sea.

"I love it, it's the best job, except for the whole nine months out at sea and three months in, but you get that on big jobs," Mr Robinson's February post states.

Although he was happiest on the sea, the long stretches away from home had a new uneasiness. Mr Robinson had recently become a father. "I am also a dad now, his name is Jaykob, he is the best, love him so much," his post announced.

But now 12-month-old Jaykob, with his mother in country Victoria, will grow up without his father.

Mr Robinson is missing, presumed dead, after the trawler he was working on sank in the Torres Strait on April 24.

Police have yet to report to the Queensland coroner, but it is believed Mr Robinson was working below deck when an accident, exacerbated by squally conditions, caused the 17-metre boat to sink about 2am.

A deckhand, aged 28, who is believed to have been below deck sleeping, is also missing, presumed dead. Search and rescue crews found the skipper drifting in a dinghy about 8am.

Queensland police believe they have located the trawler in deep water off Darnley Island, but inclement conditions have stalled efforts to positively identify the wreck or send down divers.

Narelle Robinson said her son would have been due back home about now

But instead of a welcoming barbecue for Nathan and his friends, Mrs Robinson is organising a memorial service for her son. "We can't put death notices in the paper and we can't have a funeral because Nathan's body hasn't been found and the inquest is still going," she said.

"It's going to be a while before we get closure, but we want to let everyone know about the memorial service."

Mr Robinson attended Somerville Primary School and Mornington Secondary College and was undertaking maritime studies. He celebrated his 21st birthday at sea in March.

Mr Robinson is survived by his son, mother, father Randall, brother Travis and sisters Emily and Jayden. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held in the Lady Nelson Room at Western Port Marina at 2pm on Thursday, June 4.