Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Vest, of Check, and Robert "Bobby" White, 27, of Salem, had been fishing for catfish earlier that evening and were looking forward to a bass fishing tournament the next day.
But a rainstorm ruined the fun at about 9:30 Friday night. To further complicate matters, the boat's batteries died, and the fishermen were forced to paddle back to the landing.
Vest, 35, said they paddled for more than four hours before the rear of the boat filled with water and catapulted them into the lake. The two were then separated and Vest lost sight of White.
White was found by the Brunswick County Sheriff's Department about noon Saturday, said Game Warden M.S. Copeland.
The boat was found 48 feet underwater, Copeland said. Vest said the bass fishing boat was not supposed to sink.
Vest, 35, gave the following description of the incident from his Floyd County home Tuesday evening:
He said they had only been fishing for an hour and a half when the storm hit.
The fishermen paddled to a nearby island to find help but realized the island was vacant.
As temperatures continued to drop, Vest said they decided to cross the lake and walk to their vehicles. On the way, White alerted Vest of water accumulating in the back of the boat, but the warning came too late as the water lifted the front into the air and threw the men out.
An anchor rope wrapped around Vest's foot, he said, and White became tangled in his coat.
The men then separated, and Vest said he lost sight of White.
After searching in the water, Vest swam to shore, continuing to search for his friend from the ground.
He ran to a nearby house, but the resident didn't have a phone. He was able to flag down a Brunswick County Sheriff's vehicle.
White had a 3-year-old daughter but was not married, his sister, Karen Keffer, said Tuesday night after her brother's funeral.
Keffer said White, a painting contractor who worked with his father, was an avid fisherman. Vest said he and White had been friends for about a year.
Keywords:
FATALITY
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.