Rough Weather Be Carefull...
We passed this weekend But it was rough south of Wilmington. Its that time of year be carefull and have your safty gear on board..Mark
Courtesy of Charles Osborne
Charles Osborne (left) and Scott Hewett, pictured at Holden Beach Marina in fall 2007, were friends and competitive fishing partners.
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Man killed when boat capsizes during fishing tournament
Charles Osborne, Scott Hewett and John Dozier had a full summer of fishing planned, starting with the Jolly Mon King Classic mackerel tournament in Ocean Isle Beach on Saturday and ending with a national competition in Biloxi, Miss.
But after losing Hewett, 62, his friend and competitive fishing partner in a boating accident Saturday, Osborne says he won't return to the ocean for a long time.
"We both always respected the ocean and know what it can do," said Osborne, 32, who survived along with his 47-year-old father-in-law, Dozier. "We had respect for it, but we should have feared it."
Around 10 a.m., Hewett's sport fishing boat, the Spring Run, capsized, leaving the three men clinging to wreckage in 10- to 15-foot waves, Osborne said.
The men bobbed up and down, clinging to each other in a blinding storm and praying.
Family members said Hewett had a heart problem and that he suffered a heart attack in the struggle. Osborne said watching his friend die in front of him gave him the most helpless feeling he could imagine.
On Sunday, he considered what went wrong: They had life jackets but weren't wearing them, and the flare gun was lost when the boat overturned.
Osborne also credited Hewett's meticulous nature - he filled the hull of his 24-foot fishing boat with flotation foam - with saving two lives.
"Scott is just a great guy," Osborne said. "He took pride in everything he'd done."
The boat capsizes
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard's North Carolina Sector said they received a call at 11:50 a.m. saying a capsized boat had been spotted 13 miles off Ocean Isle Beach, according to Lt. Scott McGrew, a public information officer.
By the time rescuers arrived, passing boats had pulled two survivors and a body from the water, he said. He declined to name the good Samaritans or those involved in the accident.
Osborne said the three-man crew set out at dawn, but by late morning, they went farther out to sea to escape a storm. When more bad weather came, they were farther out than a boat that size should have been in bad weather, he said.
Experienced fishermen, they kept their lines in the water, he said, and hoped to ride it out.
Once they realized they were in trouble, the waves were too high for the boat to move quickly. Then a big wave came over the back of the boat and cut off the engines.
After that, it was only a few seconds before the bow of the boat rose straight into the air. The boat toppled down on them, and the men swam out from underneath. They had grabbed life jackets, but Hewett lost his. Osborne and Dozier kept theirs but couldn't put them on for more than an hour, Osborne said, because the water was too rough.
"We knew if we got washed away from the boat, they would never find us," he said. "While we were in the water, we were doing some serious praying, like please let this let up."
Minutes after the boat capsized, Hewett complained of pain. Osborne said they were all clinging to each other, but they couldn't help him.
Within a few minutes, Osborne said, he and Dozier realized Hewett had died.
Eventually, the water calmed, and Osborne and Dozier helped each other into their life jackets. Osborne climbed onto the wreckage, which was still afloat, and waived his jacket, until eventually someone came. He and Dozier were rescued by boaters from Winnabow who were in a vessel called the King Machine.
"It was just bad timing," Osborne said. "It was a bad storm, and we took the one wave in the wrong direction."
After the accident, Osborne advised even experienced anglers to have high quality life jackets with flare guns attached, and not to hesitate to wear them in rough weather.
Osborne said he would return to the ocean, but when bad weather is predicted, he'll wait it out.
A part of the community
Friends and relatives remembered Hewett as an outgoing man, devoted to family and always willing to help others.
He lived in Brunswick County almost all his life and retired several years ago after a long career with the Archer, Daniels Midland Co. in Southport.
Even in retirement, Hewett stayed busy, checking on his mom every day and mowing his 107-year-old grandmother's lawn regularly, according to Hewett's daughter, Laurel Hewett Bellamy.
Al Fulford, 52, said Hewett was well-liked at the Holden Beach Fishing Club and often shared the spots where the fish were biting best.
Ernest Hewett said his brother was a determined-type - after a back-injury sidelined his golf game, he tried to take up the sport left-handed. The effort failed and he stuck with fishing, which he enjoyed for sport and camaraderie.
Fulford said Hewett's upbeat personality was appreciated and will be missed.
He "was just a likable fellow," Fulford said. "He could always get along with anybody."
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