Cape Fear Coast News

Coast Guard Oak Island crew members and a Brunswick County paramedic came to the aid of an ailing man Wednesday aboard a charter fishing vessel approximately 15 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River entrance. Personnel at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received notification from the 25-foot charter vessel with five people on board Wednesday about noon stating a 35-year-old male passenger with heart problems was in and out of consciousness approximately 28 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River entrance. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew from Station Oak Island launched first and a 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RBS) from Station Oak Island later launched after taking aboard a Brunswick County paramedic.

High seas off Frying Pan Shoals on the night of January 24 led to the sinking of a tugboat and the death of three crew members. The 125-foot tugboat Valour set its barge adrift to turn around and recover a crew member who fell overboard. During the search, the tug started taking on water and sank around 2:30 a.m. on January 25 about 39 miles off the Cape Fear coast near the Frying Pan Shoals light tower. The U.S. Coast Guard and the crew of another tugboat, Justine Foss, helped rescue six crewmen. One died after being rescued. One of the missing two is believed to have gone down with the tug. The Coast Guard searched more than 1,700 nautical square miles over a period of 16 hours for the other missing crew member before suspending its search. The U.S.