Operator put his boat in the pee dee river at the cordova boat access and headed north to go cat fishing around 8:00pm on monday october 7, 2013.  He started to drift back to the access area around midnight.  Operator stated that he was just going to drift back to the dock.  The current and wind was too strong and forced his vessel past the access area and into the shoals, where it became stuck  Operator got out of the boat and was able to pull it to the shore where he tied it off to a tree.  He tried to get back to the access by land but was unable to do so because of the terrain.  He then began to walk in the river towards the access area.  He was reported missing around 8:00am on tuesday, october 8, 2013 , and was located shortly thereafter by aircraft.  Once rescue crews were able to get him out of the river, he was taken to richmond memorial hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
 
The weather that night and morning was cool and rainy with strong winds and temperatures in the mid 50's.  The combination of strong current and wind pushed him past the access and into the shoals before he could crank the motor.  Unable to get back to the access, Operator was in the weather or well over 12 hours, which caused him to become hypothermic.  Operator was wearing a pfd, which may have helped him to retain some body heat.
CORDOVA