On june 9, 2013 at approximately 12:00pm, two subjects launched a 10 foot aluminum boat at the pee dee/74 access area in richmond county nc.  Operator was the owner and would be considered the operator of this vessel.  The vessel was not equipped with mechanical propulsion.  Each occupant in the boat was wearing a vest type pfd, had a paddle, and there was a cooler in the vessel.  Their intent was to float the pee dee river from rockingham to cheraw, which at the time was extremely swollen and had a very swift current from the excessive amounts of rain that the area had received over the past 36 to 48 hours from tropical storm andrea.  Upon reaching the first island roughly 1/2 mile from the access area, the two subjects decided to stop and adjust the equipment on the boat.  As the 2 subjects pushed off from the island, water entered the boat from the rear, stern, which swamped the boat and caused it to capsize.  subject grabbed a limb and pulled himself up onto the island.  Operator clinging to the boat, floated down the pee dee river until reaching the boating access area at the diggs tract of the pee dee game lands.  He was recovered and picked up by richmond county rescue.  Operator's boat and paddles have not been recovered.
ROCKINGHAM