By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Fishermen competing in a local tournament rescued four people Thursday afternoon when their pleasure boat began sinking off the Virginia Beach coast.
The fishermen spotted the boaters waving life jackets from the deck of their craft, the Cheerio II, at about noon, said Lt. Jack Smith, a Coast Guard spokesman.
The fishermen, who were part of a rock-fishing contest, pulled alongside the sinking vessel in their 26-foot Pro-Line boat and picked them up, he said.
The cold water already had risen to the boaters’ knees, Emergency Medical Services Division Chief Bruce Nedelka said. A short while later, the Cheerio II sank.
The boaters were about 3.5 miles off the coast, 13 miles southeast of Rudee Inlet, officials said.
The Coast Guard is investigating.
The fishermen transported the rescued boaters to the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, where paramedics evaluated them and determined that three were OK. They transported one boater to the hospital as a precaution against possible hypothermia, Nedelka said. That person was treated and released, he said.
It’s unclear whether the boaters were from Hampton Roads, officials said.
The Coast Guard, Navy and Virginia Beach police, fire and EMS responded.
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