Squad faces storm to rescue boaters

Two men were feared drowned by their family Thursday afternoon when they were still out on their boat in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm.

Beaufort County Water Search and Rescue were called and launched two boats off of Eddings Point, one captained Gary Bright and the other by Steve Mroz.

They found the boaters on Egg Bank off of Coffin Point.

"During the storm, the waves were breaking over them and into the boat," said rescue skipper Dick Jennings. "They intentionally beached it.

"It was one hell of a storm."

One of the men was severely diabetic and was shaking when the rescuers arrived, Jennings said. "He told us he hadn't eaten all day."

The men's boat was half sunk, so the crew put the men on one boat and towed their boat with the other, letting the water run out the back.

"We took them to Gay's Seafood," Jennings said, so the ill man could get something to eat. "But the tide was getting low. We had to tow them to Russ Island off of Hunting Island.

"There was a lot of family waiting (at the landing). They thought they had drowned."