Looks like I got my lines tangled a bit:
By
Lauren King
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 26, 2012 OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C.
Four people spent several hours clinging to the side of a capsized boat before one man was able to swim to shore and call for help Friday.
About 6:30 p.m., Dare County emergency dispatchers called the Coast Guard with news of the man swimming in the rough seas. He had called Dare, not realizing he was on Ocracoke Island, which is part of Hyde County, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Rowe.
During the call, he reported that three others were still holding on to the capsized, 23-foot Grady-White boat, which was about 60 yards from shore.
They had been trying to enter Hatteras Inlet when it overturned.
The National Weather Service issued a small craft advisory late in the afternoon. The advisory said wind speeds of 25 to 33 knots and/or seas of 6 feet or greater were expected. A news release from Hyde said the ocean current had carried the capsized vessel two miles south to Ocracoke.
The Coast Guard issued an alert for the capsized boat and dispatched a helicopter from Elizabeth City and a boat from Hatteras to assist with the rescue. Dare County then called Hyde County EMS and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department for help.
About 7 p.m., as the Coast Guard boat arrived, the capsized boat had drifted to the beach, and the survivors were able to get out of the water, Rowe said.
One who had been clinging to the boat was complaining of back pain and upper respiratory distress, Rowe said. He was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. The others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.