Story Archive

Don’t Sail Away

Oak Island (N.C.) Water Rescue has been called out several times to retrieve inflatable floating rafts. But when one visiting family contacted them, there was something else on the unicorn-shaped raft that had drifted away: their young son. “The float was right there, in easy reach, and then just in the blink of an eye, it was beyond the breakers and too far for them to reach,” Rescue Chief Tony Young said. The all-volunteer Water Rescue had a boat in the water in less than 15 minutes, and quickly returned the boy to his family. Young advised anyone else in that situation to stay on the raft rather than swim to shore, and if you happen to see a raft in the ocean, don’t be afraid to call 911. He also had prevention advice for parents: “These floats are very popular, we advise everybody to anchor them somehow, or have a parent hold on to a line,” Young said. (MS/WWAY Wilmington) ...Real unicorns need to be free. Plastic ones need a leash.