New 35' Carolina Classic goes down.....

[TheTinMan]

What a tragedy, they were taking the boat to Miami for the boat show.

SOUTH RIVER — Two bodies found near the mouth of South River in Carteret County have been identified as two Florida men hired to transport a new boat from North Carolina back to their home state.

The men left Edenton with the 35-foot Carolina Classic sportsfishing boat Sunday morning and were headed south along the Intracoastal Waterway to Cozy Cove Marina, a broker for Carolina Classic vessels in Dania Beach, Fla., said Carteret County Sheriff Ralph Thomas Jr.

James Surface, 55, and Sam Puleo, 78, never made it beyond Carteret County, and an investigation is under way to determine what caused the boat to sink.

Thomas said the initial evidence doesn’t suggest foul play, but investigators need to examine the boat before they can determine whether or not the sinking was an accident. The sheriff’s department and the U.S. Coast Guard are working together on the investigation, he said.

“No final determination will be made until the boat has been raised and examined,” Thomas said.

The vessel was located in Carteret County waters near the mouth of Adams Creek after an investigation began into Puleo’s death. His body was found in the water Thursday afternoon near the shore in the South River community.

Thomas said Puleo was wearing a life vest but there were no signs of a boat nearby or reports of a missing person, leaving investigators with little information.

Through an identification card with the victim’s address, investigators were able to piece together information about him and the trip to North Carolina. That was then that they learned there was a second man and a boat.

“The investigation revealed he was one member of a two-man team that had gone to (Edenton) to bring a boat back to Florida. The mystery then was ‘Where was the boat and where was the second man?’” Thomas said.

The body of the second man was located near where Puleo was found. With the help of an air search by the Coast Guard, investigators were able to see the boat sitting on the water bottom an estimated seven or eight miles away from where the men were found, Thomas said.

Thomas said the winds and water current apparently carried the men’s bodies away from the boat.

Surface and Puleo had rented a car for the drive to Edenton and then left together on the boat to transport it down to Florida.

It is believed that the boat sank on the day of their departure from Edenton.

The men reportedly left the manufacturer’s dock in Edenton at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, which would have put them in the area around midday Sunday, Thomas said.

Thomas said there were no obvious signs of trauma on the bodies of the two men, but autopsies were to be conducted to determine the cause of death.

The boat will remain underwater until the owner is able to hire a salvage company to raise the vessel. :(

[reelapeelin]

This is REALLY a tradjic story...I think they're gonna find something mfgr failed to do in building that boat...hope sherriff's dept/CG guarding that boat till it can be raised...

[Blue_Runner]

First the that comes to my mind is THE PLUG.

It should be obvious what happened after they are able to look at the boat.

That's a shame. And one guy wearing a life jacket? This doesn't add up? What about distress call? I'm thinking a new carolina classic is going to have a capable VHF radio?!

[Skools Out]

The water was really rough there yesterday with 2 to 3 ft chop and water temp at 52* air temp at 34* snowing with winds @ 35 to 40 mph and wind chills at 20*. It was not a good day to be out there in any vessel. I looked at a Carolina Classic 28 at the boat show and it didn't have a plug hole so that's not likely a cause for the sinking. I'd say it would be a loose or faulty prop output shaft seal at the hull. It may have been a rutter shaft seal at the hull or a live well thru hull water pick up wasing tight or pipe clamp on the fill lines.

[Skools Out]

just found more info on Papers website.

http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/

http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/headln4.htm

Two bodies recovered near river
BY ERIC STEINKOPFF

NEWS-TIMES

SOUTH RIVER — The bodies of two Florida men found near the mouth of South River have been identified as two experienced seaman hired to transport a new boat from an Edenton factory south along the Intracoastal Waterway to a Miami boat show.

County Sheriff Ralph Thomas Jr. confirmed Friday that the body of Sam Puleo, 78, of Fort Lauderdale who lived on a boat in a Florida marina, was found around 4:30 p.m. Thursday and the body of his companion, retired Bay Harbor Island police Lt. James Surface, 55, of Englewood, was found around 12:30 p.m. Friday.

Both bodies were found near Lukens Island just to the east of the mouth of the South River about eight miles east of their sunken 35-foot Carolina Classic "Sport Fisher."

The boat was found Friday by a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk search and rescue crew in about 10 to 18 feet of water near Marker 7.

Investigators said that there is no evidence of foul play, but the bodies were taken to Carteret General Hospital and then to Onslow Memorial Hospital for autopsies to determine the cause of death, before being released to the families for burial.

An investigation is under way to determine what led up to the sinking of the boat.

Investigators will learn a great deal more about the incident once they are able to take a closer look at the boat.

"When we raise the boat, almost immediately we will know what happened," Sheriff Thomas said. "It will have to be inspected by the Coast Guard and deputies to confirm or disprove suspicions of a serious hull breach. If that’s not the case, the investigation will continue."

The two men’s journey began when they rented a car and left their native Cozy Cove Marina in Dania, Fla., on the southeastern tip of the state and drove north to take delivery of the new boat from manufacturer Carolina Classic Inc. in Edenton.

Those who knew the two men said they hoped to head south along the ICW in time to reach next week’s Miami Boat Show.

"They each have about 30 years on boats. Sam (Puleo) lived on a boat in the marina and owned several boats," said Cozy Cove Marina owner and operator John Skinner. "He’s been delivering boats for years to places like the Galapagos Islands, South America and inland rivers."

According to investigators, the men left Edenton around 8:30 a.m. Sunday and they believe something went wrong about midday when the boat sank quickly in the Neuse River near the mouth of Adams Creek.

"The boat sank, but this was unknown until Thursday afternoon when we were notified that a body had been spotted in the water near the mouth of the South River," said Sheriff Thomas of a South River resident’s report.

Deputies recovered Mr. Puleo’s life-jacketed body near the mouth of the South River late Thursday afternoon, determined that he was on a boat and had a companion, so the Coast Guard began a helicopter search of the area around 6 p.m. that included about 2,000 square miles in the Pamlico Sound, Pamlico River and Neuse River.

The air crews continued through the night, pausing only to refuel and were joined by Coast Guard boats from their Hobuken and Fort Macon stations, as well as members of the Marine Patrol, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and sheriff’s deputies.

The helicopter crew from their Elizabeth City Air Station spotted the boat from the air Friday near Marker 7 close to the mouth of Adams Creek with one outrigger sticking out of the water, according to Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Public Affairs Officer Lt. j.g. Chandra Hartsfield.

The sheriff’s department received a citizen’s report early Friday of another body near where they recovered the first, near the mouth of the South River and about 500 yards from an area frequented by duck hunters.

Sheriff’s department dive team leader and patrol division supervisor Capt. Franklin Fulcher, Detective Sgt. Jason Wank and undercover narcotics officer Detective Chris Cozart were on a Coast Guard boat around 12:30 p.m. Friday when they found the body of Mr. Surface without a life jacket near Lukens Island.

"Both bodies were in close proximity to each other," Sheriff Thomas said. "It’s a logical location due to the winds over the last several days. The west and west-northwest winds would have moved bodies from the location of the boat to where the bodies were found."

"We needed multiple people, including detectives to (document) the location and condition of the body, retrieve it and make other observations at the scene," Sheriff Thomas said. "We appreciate the rapid and in depth cooperation from the Fort Macon Coast Guard Station."

Given the fact that at least one of the deceased men was wearing a life jacket and they were not able to steer the boat toward land and relative safety of the shallows, investigators believe that whatever catastrophic event occurred, it flooded and sank the boat very fast.

"People who know the men said they would not have otherwise been wearing life jackets," said Sheriff Thomas who added that the fact that there was no evidence of trauma or burns to the head, torso or limbs of the deceased, suggests that the sinking was not caused by an engine or transmission explosion.

"They did this all the time and were considered very experienced professionals," Sheriff Thomas said.

"It was a brand new boat, and they always carry a GPS, radio and depth sounder," Mr. Skinner said. "It must have been an absolute freak accident to cause something to happen so quickly."

Sheriff’s departments in Pamlico County to the north and Carteret County to the south both confirmed that there was no report of an emergency cell phone call about a sinking boat this week.

According to the Coast Guard, they did not get a distress call from the unnamed boat piloted by the two men this week, but a crew from their Hobuken station did respond to another boater’s report of a sunken vessel marked with a life ring or life jacket near Marker 7 in the Neuse River Wednesday and they were unable to find the boat.

"The cause should be determined in a matter of days, but it would likely be hypothermia or drowning, given the absence of physical trauma," Sheriff Thomas said.

According to the National Weather Service in Newport, the water temperatures dropped steadily from 54 degrees Sunday to 49 degrees Friday.

"The trend was for the water to get colder as the weather got colder throughout the week," said meteorologist John Elavdo.

The families in Florida were devastated, but at least one friend was able to say some kind words about his comrades.

"We’re all in shock and disbelief," Mr. Skinner said. "They were very close personal friends, like members of the family. Sam (Puelo) was a true gentleman and a scholar and (Mr. Surface) was a retired cop. They helped everybody in the marina. They were just good people."

Deputies estimated that the boat likely carried about 300 gallons of fuel when it set off from Edenton and probably used about 40 to 50 gallons on its trip to the Neuse River, so officers expect as much as 250 gallons of diesel fuel could still be on board of the sunken vessel.

"I believe that the fuel tanks still had a great deal of fuel inside, but there was no oil or fuel seen on the surface," Sheriff Thomas said. "The boat salvage and recovery is the responsibility of the boat owner under the guidance of the Coast Guard."

"The Coast Guard will work closely with the owner to ensure the salvage doesn’t present any environmental hazards," Lt. j.g. Hartsfield said.

[willy]

That is really strange, to be on the water that long, and not notice something then all of a sudden go down so quick you can't turn your boat to shore or shallows, no distress call , no life vest for second guy. What a shame. And when it is all said and done it is going to be something very stupid that killed those two men, I don't know whose fault but something very stupid. They didn't look at the hull yet so other than a hole from large floating debris or a torpedo that really is kind of strange

[Blue_Runner]

I'm leaning towards hitting something while underway. Had to be a large hole to let water in that fast.

I've heard those new Carolina Classics have a system that warns you when unwanted water enters the hull. They should, considering the price.

[willy]

I don't know about the Carolinas but I remember a year or so ago someone here posting a site about those guys who appraise boats and it said that modern glass construction on a lot of very expensive new boats was inferior to the old style construction for seaworthiness and durability, showed a fellow peeling back the outer hull by hand after a crack or small penetration occurred. I'd hate to think that is what happened here, small hole/fast sink.

[Skools Out]

they have been having super low tides too since it's a full moon and at high tide it looked like a reg low tide so maybe the had run a ground and then backed it off and the damage was worst than thought and once it was in deep water again it took on water faster than they thought.

[Blue_Runner]

Or maybe those fella's in the Panga showed up from Somalia...

Too bad neither lived to tell what the heck happened. I certainly wouldn't rule out foul play.