One dead, one injured after 50-foot yacht capsizes in Oregon Inlet at Outer Banks

NAGS HEAD, N.C. (WAVY/WNCN) — A Pennsylvania man died, and another man was injured after the yacht they were on capsized Saturday afternoon in Oregon Inlet in Dare County at the Outer Banks.

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, two adults were taking a 50-foot sportfishing yacht from Cape May, New Jersey, to Florida but had to make a stop in Beaufort, North Carolina, for repairs to a damaged prop.

While navigating Oregon Inlet, the vessel capsized, the wildlife commission said in a news release.

Officials say the vessel was under power from three of the four engines when the yacht went down in the inlet, which links the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island.

Both men were later in the water without life jackets, officials said. One occupant, Taylor Flannery, 29, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, was found by the U.S. Coast Guard. Flannery was taken to the Outer Banks Hospital with minor injuries.

The other occupant, Francis Hennigan Jr., 50, of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, was found unresponsive in the water and died at the scene, the news release said.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. Hennigan’s family,” wildlife commission officials said.

The incident is under investigation by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.