Received reports in the news media and from the Department of the Army that two individuals drowned in the swift-moving Gunpowder River while swimming from their vessel. A witness reported that one of victims had stated that the water was cold, that the current was swift and that he had a cramp. The three started to struggle and attempted to hold onto the other for support.  They were about 20 yards from the boat.  The operator maneuvered closer to the victims and a witness grabbed a paddle to hold out to the swimmers.  Before operator jumped into the water, he explained to witness how to start the vessel.  Operator swam to and brought one victim to the boat where he was able to grab onto the paddle and engine (now turned off). The remaining victims were about 30 yards away.   Operator returned to vessel to move vessel closer and tried to contact the Coast Guard for assistance.  Opeartor had hit the "man overboard" feature on his GPS to track the location. The remaining victims were about 30 yards away. The line was fuzzy (the CG had thought there was a grounding not a drowning).  The party lit flares and talked to nearby boaters.  When boat was moved closer, one victim was just underwater and the other was trying to hold onto the paddle but could not get a firm grip. Sight of both individuals was lost and the boat drifted ¼ mile from last siting. The operator didn’t turn on the engine for fear of striking the victims with the propeller.

Reports indicate that the individuals had departed a party after eating and had been on the water since 1600.  Witnesses state the individuals were not consuming alcohol, just soda. Conditions of the water involved a high tide around the reporting of the accident, up 1.2 inch.
Aberdeen