Tragedy off the coast of North Carolina Originally posted 3/06

May 27, 2006

Last week a fishing trip ended tragically when a boat capsized off the coast of North Carolina and four of the 6 men on board died from hypothermia. [quote] Two men who survived a boating accident that killed their four friends say they swam to shore with a shoelace to keep them connected, and flagged down a pizza delivery driver for help, but were too late to save the other men.
Sean Knight and Virgil Poore survived more than 10 hours in frigid ocean water after their boat capsized off Ocean Isle during a fishing trip. [/quote] The 6 men on board were fire fighters and paramedics whose survival training one would assume is above the average person’s knowledge. It would appear that a string of miscalculations led to the tragic results. [quote] They had died of hypothermia, according to Sgt. Bill Lester of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Bad weather and a possibly overloaded boat likely combined to cause the accident, Lester said. The six men, fishing gear and a console canopy meant to protect the boaters from inclement weather were on board.
“In my opinion, it was overloaded,” said Ocean Isle Beach Police Chief Curt Pritchard of the Ocean Isle Police, which is investigating the accident with the wildlife commission.
Small-craft advisories were in effect when the boat capsized Wednesday, warning of winds to 10 knots and waves of 1 foot to 2 feet. Lester said the wind may have been an issue, as well as the attached T-top that made the boat slightly top-heavy. In addition, the boat’s position allowed waves to strike it broadside, he said.
The water temperature of 58 degrees could cause exhaustion or unconsciousness in one to two hours, according to water-survival charts used by the wildlife commission.
“With the cold water temperature you lose mobility real quick,” said commission Capt. Chris Huebner. “I think the thing you’ve got to remind people of is, even on these nice days, the water temperature is nowhere near the air temperature. It can be real dangerous this time of year with hypothermia or exposure.”
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As outdoors people we need to remember how unforgiving nature can be and how a couple of simple mistakes can put us in grave danger. Although hunting and fishing are some of the safest activities to participate in carelessness can quickly lead to tragedy. These men survived for hours in water that experts said that the survival rate was 1-2 hours. The decision to swim for shore I’m sure was not an easy one and one that some may second guess. The prospect of a night in the water is not one I would want to do and I think I too would of opted to try for shore. [quote] Coast Guard spokesman Mark Adams said the boaters got into trouble off Lockwood Folly Inlet near Shallotte on Wednesday. Officials said their 18-foot boat may have taken on water during heavy wave action and capsized in rough weather, leaving them adrift at nightfall.
The survivors said they had tied themselves to the craft. At about 10 p.m., fearing that they were drifting out to sea, the men tried to swim about 1 1/2 miles to Holden Beach.
[/quote] [quote] Adams said boaters should stay with their vessel if it overturns.
“The biggest point here is to stay with the vessel as long as possible, because we found the boat before we found the persons,” he said. “It’s much easier to see six people on a white-hulled vessel than in the open ocean.”
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I hope before your next trip afield you take a moment and think about what you need to do to be safe. My heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of these men who put their lives on the line many times in the fire service but on a recreational trip tragedy over took them.

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