AT OR AROUND 3:20 PM ON JULY 8, 2009 OPERATOR WAS OPERATING VESSEL ONE IN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY NEAR CEDAR POINT.  SHE WAS TRAVELING EAST TOWARDS BOGUE INLET.  HER AND HER PARTY DECIDED TO GO SWIMMING NEAR SHARKTOOTH ISLAND.  DUE TO THE WIND THEY PULLED ON THE ICW SIDE OF SHARKTOOTH ISLAND NEAR THE TURN FOR THE INLET.  THE CURRENT IS VERY STRONG IN THIS AREA AND AT THAT TIME THE TIDE WAS FALLING PULLING THEM TOWARDS THE INLET.  OPERATOR THREW OUT THE ANCHOR AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET IT SET WHEN victim JUMPED INTO THE WATER TO SWIM.  HE FOUGHT THE CURRENT AND WAS ABLE TO GET HIS HANDS BACK ON THE SIDE OF THE BOAT.  THE TWO WOMEN TRIED TO PULL HIM BUT COULD NOT.  HE PLACED HIS FEET OVER THE GUNNEL AND THE TWO WOMEN TRIED TO PULL HIM IN BY HIS ARMS.  IT APPEARED TO THEM THAT HE WAS BREATHING HARD AND WAS STRUGGLING TO GET IN.  HE PULLED HIS FEET BACK INTO THE WATER AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GET HIM TO THE LADDER BUT HE STILL COULD NOT GET IN THE BOAT.  HE SAID HE WAS JUST GOING TO SWIM TO THE BEACH.  HE GOT ABOUT TWENTY YEARDS FROM THE BOAT AND THE WOMEN (STILL IN THE BOAT) NOTICED HE WAS IN TROUBLE.  (AT THIS POINT THE BOAT WAS STILL DRIFTING OUT BECAUSE THE ANCHOR NEVER CAUGHT.) HE WAS YELING FOR HELP.  THEY WERE ABLE TO GET TO HIM AND subject GRABED HIM BY THE SHIRT AND SHE SAID HE WAS JUST FLOATING WITH HIS HEAD DOWN.  SHE SAID HE NEVER WENT UNDER.  THE OPERATOR OF VESSEL ONE OPERATOR WAS ARRESTED FOR OPERATING WHILE IMPAIRED AND BLEW A .23 AT 1953 WHICH WAS RETROGRADED TO A .30 AT 1520.  occupant STATED SHE HAD ABOUT SEVEN BEERS AND HER HUSBAND HAD DRANK AROUND TWELVE BEERS.  victim WAS A GOOD SWIMMER BUT HAD MANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING PROBLEMS WITH HIS LUNGS.  HE WAS NOT WEARING A PFD.
CEDAR POINT                   