Boaters hang onto hull after boat capsizes 3 miles from NC beach, Coast Guard says
The Coast Guard rescued two boaters from the water Saturday morning after their vessel capsized off a North Carolina beach.
Onslow County dispatchers notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina that the two were in the water after their boat capsized about 3 miles east of Onslow Beach, according to a news release from the United States Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard sent a boat crew to rescue the mariners, and Onslow County sent the North Topsail Fire Department and Camp Lejeune Fire and Rescue.
When the Coast Guard crew arrived, they found the two hanging onto the hull of the overturned 17-foot boat, according to the release.
They weren’t injured, and the Coast Guard crew took them back to the station, the release says. It’s unclear what happened to the boat.
“The water can be an unpredictable place, so it is important to be prepared for the unexpected,” Petty Officer First Class Christopher Jackson, watchstander at Sector North Carolina Command Center, said in the news release.
Jackson said the Coast Guard was able to rescue the boaters quickly because they “had a way of communicating that they were in trouble.”
“We strongly encourage all boaters to have a plan for reaching out for help – whether that is with an emergency locating beacon, radio or otherwise – so we are able to assist as quickly and efficiently as possible should the need arise,” Jackson said, according to the release.
Onslow Beach is about 140 miles from Raleigh.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Boaters hang onto hull after boat capsizes 3 miles from NC beach, Coast Guard says."
