Makeshift boat washes up in Caswell Beach

CASWELL BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - Storms often lead to neat finds on the beach after they pass, but Tropical Storm Colin washed up something unique: a makeshift boat.

“On this beach alone, I’ve found so many whole sand dollars,” said Caswell Beach resident Penny Tindall. “I’m always looking for something, but I was never looking for that.”

Penny Tindall, Addison Tindall and Kalaya Johnson went to the beach on Sunday in hopes of getting a tan and maybe seeing a sea turtle. What they didn’t expect to see was a boat washed ashore.

“It was made of heavy styrofoam. It looked like a car engine inside,” said Penny Tindall. “Maybe six homemade oars, maybe four. If there’s that many oars, then how many people were using them to get away from where they were?”

Tindall says Caswell Beach Police and the Coast Guard hauled away the makeshift boat the same day the discovery was made.

Bags inside the boat labeled “Made in Cuba” lead the girls to believe the boat belonged to someone traveling from Cuba. Now, they’re left wondering how it got to Brunswick County and where the passengers ended up.

“What if they jumped off the boat and drowned? Did something really bad happen to them?” asked Addison Tindall. “I hope they made it somewhere they needed to be and they’re not injured or anything like that.”

Investigators are looking into these same questions. Immigration policy says Cuban refugees can stay in the U.S. if they made it to shore. If they’re caught at sea, however, they’re sent back to Cuba.

While these girls hope for answers, they’re at least glad to have a good story to tell once summer break is over