It was a wicked Wednesday night for a pair of boats and five mariners trying to navigate Oregon Inlet.
A 32-foot-long Albemarle recreational boat from out of the area, and a 35-foot-long JC recreational/commercial boat from New Jersey, grounded in almost the exact same spot the Ocean Pursuit came ashore in 2020 about a mile south of Cape Hatteras National Seashore ORV ramp 4 on Bodie Island Spit.
The National Park Service said in a news release the two vessels may have collided, and the five people on the two vessels made it to shore safely.
A Dense Fog Advisory was posted by the National Weather Service in the area at the time of the grounding. Winds were northeast at 5 to 10 knots, with seas of 5 to 6 feet and a period of 7 seconds at the buoy located outside the inlet.
Sea Tow Oregon Inlet responded to assist the stranded boats and is already working on plans on how to free them.
Boats from all along the East Coast, and based here on the Outer Banks, run in and out of the treacherous inlet during the winter chasing giant bluefin tuna that show up from January to March as close as 10 miles offshore.
The chase for the fish that can weigh up to 1,500 pounds inspired the reality TV show “Wicked Tuna Outer Banks”, which has crews filming another season on and offshore.
This is a developing story, stay with OBX Today for updates.