RedactedNarrative: On saturday march 3, 2018 at 07:58am, i received a call from the ncwrc raleigh dispatch indicating there was a possible boating incident on lake gaston near littleton nc.  After collecting the contact number, i called the individual involved in the incident to gather facts surrounding the report.  After speaking with subject, i learned that this was a single vessel incident in which the vessel had been swamped due to improper anchoring in inclement weather.  Both subject and his passenger indicated that they were not injured but were standing inside the sunken vessel in approximately 3 feet of water. 
  
  After taking the report, i immediately discontinued my patrol in franklin county and returned to my residence to pick up my patrol boat.  While in route to my residence, i spoke with both warren county and halifax county dispatchers to see if there was a rescue unit that could respond quicker than myself to assist the stranded boaters.  Both dispatches indicated that no rescue units with a boat were available. After retrieving my patrol boat, i drove to salmons landing access area.  Around 8:45am, i received a call from a first responder who indicated that a fisherman had picked up the stranded boaters prior to my arrival. 
  
  I arrived at salmons landing around 9:03am and found both subject and occupant sitting in their vehicles with the heat on warming their feet.   I inquired multiple times to see if the boaters needed medical attention, but they refused.   Officer arrived at about 9:10 am to assist with the incident investigation.  I gave subject an mb4.1 and asked both individuals to give me a description of the events that occurred. 
  
  According to both individuals, the two gentlemen departed the boat dock around 6:30am and made their first stop in the mouth of stonehouse creek and just north of the “cut through island” (see diagram). This location is about 0.6miles east of mile marker 8 and just north of the intersection of forest hill drive and lakeview.  There was a sustained wind of approximately 15-20mph with gusts of 25-30mph out of the north/northwest.  The anglers used their power pole to anchor from the rear of the vessel.  They anchored with the bow of the vessel pointed in the same direction the wind was blowing as opposed to facing in to the wind and waves.   This soon proved to be problematic as water began entering the boat over the transom.  Subject said he turned on the bilge pump hoping it would pump the water out of the vessel. However, he quickly realized the pump could not extract the large volume of water entering the hull of the boat.   At this time, he tried to start the engine to move closer to land, but the engine would not start because it had taken on too much water.  The boat quickly became swamped and sunk to the floor of the lake.  Fortunately this occurred in an area where the water is only 3-4 feet deep, which allowed the boat to remain fully visible even though filled with water. 
  
  After evaluating the incident, officer and i contacted tow boat usa to assist the owner with the retrieval of his vessel.  Tow boat usa arrived on scene around 11 am and began working on the vessel's recovery.   Subject' vessel was raised and towed back to salmons landing access area around 2:30pm where he placed it on his trailer and departed the lake.
  
  
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