Portsmouth, Va. – An overdue kite-surfer that the Coast Guard was searching for this evening near Cape Lookout, N.C., returned to Harkers Island, N.C., under his own power.
Frank Mueller, a 31-year-old male, became separated from a companion today while kite-surfing between Harkers Island and Cape Lookout. The friend reported Mueller overdue when he did not return by 5:30 p.m.
Mueller made it back to the beach by himself at approximately 10 p.m., and called 911. Emergency medical services responded and the Coast Guard assets that were searching for him, a 25-foot rescue boat from Station Fort Macon, N.C., and aN HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., returned to base.
The Coast Guard strongly discourages boaters and swimmers from taking to the water as Hanna nears the Carolina and Virginia coasts. Environmental conditions can change suddenly, and dangerous riptides and heavy seas precede the storm’s arrival.
For further information on Tropical Storm Hanna, visit the Coast Guard’s public information Web site at http://www.hanna.uscgstormwatch.com.
