By Staff
Was trying to clear propeller
By TED STRONG
Staff Writer
A boater from Chocowinity drowned in Pungo Creek after her boat’s motor stopped early Sunday morning.
The body of Catherine Forrest “Cathy” Leary, 53, was found early this morning, according to the Beaufort County sheriff’s department.
Leary’s death is the second drowning in area waterways this summer. July 19, Ronald Manual Armston of Williamston never surfaced after jumping into Chocowinity Bay from a boat.
So Leary jumped into the water to try to clear it, Bridgeman said.
But once in the water, Leary had trouble swimming, and a man on the boat with Leary jumped into the water too, Bridgeman said.
He swam to shore and asked a homeowner to dial 911, she said.
The call came in at 3:32 a.m., according to the sheriff’s department.
Leary’s body was found at about 6:30 a.m. by a U.S. Coast Guard air unit, said Steven Swain, dive chief of the Sidney Dive Team.
The body was at the surface when it was found, he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how far the body had drifted because of storms in the area Sunday morning, he said.
She said officials are waiting to have an interview with the surviving boater and investigate what tangled the propeller before closing the investigation.
Bath Water Rescue also responded to the scene.
Leary’s funeral arrangements are being handled by Paul Funeral Home in Washington.
Also Sunday morning, the Sidney Dive Team helped the U.S. Coast Guard identify a sunken 40-foot trawler that was recently discovered several miles off of Pamlico Point in the Pamlico Sound, Swain said.
The team noted the boat’s name and registration number, and checked that no one had gone down with the boat, Swain said.