North Carolina Fishing Reports

catch22 · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:41 am Post subject: boat capsized off holden....

hope this news is not true, but i have reason to think it is so. heard at about 4am today that a 18ft. cat with 6 onboard caught a rougue wave about 8 miles off holden/ocean bch. 2 men swam towards the water towers at holden, and came ashore at about 11pm lastnight. 4 others are still out there. request prayers. ken.

Capt_Dave · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:30 pm Post subject:

FOUR MEN FOUND DECEASED AFTER 10-HOUR SEARCH

ATLANTIC BEACH, NC. Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The bodies of four volunteer firefighters from Banner Elk, N.C., who were on a fishing trip were located this morning off Lockwood Folley Inlet, N.C., after an overnight search involving Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and local assets.

Kevin Bell, 38, Griff Lygrely, 22, Michael Shope, 21, and Archibald McFadden, 20, were recovered from the water deceased.

Two other men were able to swim to shore and called 911 at about 11 last night.

The two men reported that the 18-foot vessel they were on, Wild Goose, capsized earlier that day off Holden Beach, N.C., with themselves and the four other men aboard. At some point during their ordeal, all six men decided to swim to shore. Three of four men were recovered wearing lifejackets.

After receiving the notification, Coast Guard Sector North Carolina immediately launched a 41-foot rescue boat from Station Oak Island, N.C., a C-130 airplane and HH-60 helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to search for the missing men. Earlier this morning, a Marine Corps helicopter from Air Station Cherry Point also launched to assist in the search. Local agencies were also involved in conducting shoreline searches.

The first of the four men was discovered at 7:34 a.m. The three other men were found within the next five minutes in the same vicinity. All the men were recovered by the 41-foot rescue boat and taken to Blue Water Point Marina where they were met by the local coroner.

Their were small craft advisories in effect in the area where the men were believed to have capsized with 5 to 10-knot winds, 1 to 2- foot seas and a water temperature of 58 degrees.

"Telling parents their children are deceased is one of the hardest things IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve ever had to do," said Captain Dean Lee, commanding officer of Sector North Carolina. "I hope they know we did everything in our power to save their loved ones. All we can do now is use this as an opportunity to prevent this from happening again, and hopefully save other lives."

To minimize the risk of injury or accidents the Coast Guard urges boaters to adequately prepare themselves and their boats before plying the waters. Steps boaters can take include:

Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Checking the weather. In the winter, conditions can change rapidly with little warning.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ If your vessel capsizes, try to stay with the vessel. The vessel may provide a platform out of the water or partially out of the water to reduce hypothermia, and is more easily seen than a person in the water.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Carry a set of dry clothing. The risk of hypothermia increases as water temperature drops. A boater does not need to fall overboard to get hypothermia.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Wear a life vest or anti-exposure suit. Wearing a life vest greatly increases the chances of survival if a boater falls in the water.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Bring the appropriate equipment. EPIRBs, radios and flares, among other items, are essential in communicating rescuers in any distress situation. Though cell phones can be a useful backup to a radio, boaters are reminded that they have several limitations such as battery life, coverage and are difficult to pinpoint with direction finding equipment. The Coast Guard does not recommend cell phones as a primary means of communication.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ File a float plan with family or friends. A float plan consists of a description of the boat, the number of people on board, its destination, and when it will return.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Utilizing the Coast Guard's Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check (VSC) program can ensure that the recreational boater is equipped with all required safety gear, making sure that a critical piece of lifesaving gear is not missing at a crucial time. Information regarding VSC and boating safety can be found at www.vesselsafetycheck.org and www.uscgboating.org.
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Life is SHORT....Fish Hard!

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hummingbirdfishing · 1st Mate Joined: Aug 11, 2005 Posts: 85

Terrible news. Thoughts and prayers with their friends and family.

"Their were small craft advisories in effect in the area where the men were believed to have capsized with 5 to 10-knot winds, 1 to 2- foot seas and a water temperature of 58 degrees"

That's not right is it?? It was a lot worse than that, right?

kprincesr · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:26 pm Post subject:

My deepest sympathies and regards for the Families as well. I hope that this never happens to anyone else. We all must learn from this tragic accident. One of the things that stuck out in this report was 6 men in an 18 foot vessel. Even though the seas were fairly calm, I find that there may have been too many people in the boat. I wonder what kind of boat it was and if there were any other complicating circumstances in addition to the rogue wave.
Safety First when facing the seas.
K

martini · Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:14 pm Post subject:

May GOD bless there familys and friends !

Osprey_Rods · Mate Joined: Jul 02, 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Charlotte

This is a sad conclusion to a risk that we all take with exposure to cold water most of the year in our area. Follow this link to important information about hypothermia. http://www.experts.com/showArticle.asp?id=20 The ocean and safety are no joke!
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mtrmadman · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:16 am Post subject:

This is a sad sad thing and I'm praying for the family they left behind. I saw the pic of the boat as tow boat US was bringing it in and this boat is tiny. I just hope that others will learn from this mistake.

Thanks Barry

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=4641821

manymoons · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:18 am Post subject:

Sad story, and scary since that is nearly the same size boat I fish on. I've done a lot of cool and cold water diving, and being in water that chilly is not fun for long... 55 degrees in a full wetsuit with hood will still get you slightly hypothermic anfter 2 30-minute dives with a propane space heater helping out between and after dives... I can't imagine being in that water for hours with no exposure protection.

My advice (and what I do) would be to add a full wetsuit to your exposure protection for those days of cold-water fishing on a small boat. A wetsuit with an offshore exposure suit on top of it not only provides flotation, it helps a LOT with thermal protection. Probly not a bad idea to add a thin neoprene ski vest on top of that for flotation. Its a little bit restrictive but not too bad... And you won't be cold or sink, and if you're not using a chair or belt it helps spread out the pressure from the rod butt for the biguns.
_________________
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Brad Butler
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Capt_Dave · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:14 pm Post subject:

This is why I have always been SOOoooo funny about fishing in the winter time on a boat with no liferaft. I do not mind fishing in the winter....I just REQUIRE that the boat have a life raft.

I also own 2 survivial suits. Both are Fat Guy size. (Me)

I have been too many times...on too many boats....I know how fast things can go downhill.

All you folks that are just learning to fish and are just ventureing offshore I HOPE you take note of this! I HOPE you stop and think about what you are doing. Going swimming sux bad enough as it is. Going swimming when the water is cold means you are DEAD.

I live here....I can go fishing some other time.

Dave
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Capt. Dave

Life is SHORT....Fish Hard!

NOT a Member??You are missing ALL the Downloads........and most of the Pictures....!!

Wes · Newbie Joined: Mar 15, 2005 Posts: 3

Can anyone tell me why there were small craft advisories if the winds were 5-10 and seas 1-2?

manymoons · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:54 pm Post subject:

Probably high winds blowing the surf down but making it choppy, with the potential to bring it up big... That or it was rougher offshore. I was out running right off the beach for fun last week once when there was SCA, it was gorgeous right off the beach and in the inlet but you could see the swells on the horizon, it was huge offshore. dont quote me htough. Who knows.
_________________
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Brad Butler
"Many Moons"
Scout 175 Center Console


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