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A boating accident has taken the life of Oriental area resident Dave Gerdeman.

Dave and his wife Care were sailing with another couple on Sunday afternoon near the mouth of Broad Creek on the Neuse River, not far from their Brown’s Creek home.

According to Wildlife Resources officer Tyler Brown, the boom of the sailboat “came around hard,” and hit Dave Gerdeman in the head. He immediately fell in to the water.

The Coast Guard says that a friend on the boat jumped in to the water and retrieved Dave. Officer Brown says that a “good Samaritan” on a motor boat heard the broadcast rescue call that went out at 4:26p and rushed to the scene and pulled Dave out of the water. The motorboat then brought Dave to River Dunes where they were met by Pamlico Rescue and Oriental’s First Responders. Efforts to revive Dave did not succeed.

Officer Brown says the cause of death is being listed as a drowning.

Dave Gerdeman was 61 and an active member of the local Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he was vice commander.

Posted Monday October 18, 2010 by Melinda Penkava