By JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, The Virginian-Pilot
A Corolla Fire and Rescue lifeguard sped seven miles offshore Sunday on a personal watercraft , the most far-reaching rescue ever for the unit, to reach a couple whose catamaran had toppled over in stiff winds.
The couple used a cell phone to call their son in Nevada, who called Corolla Fire and Rescue, after losing control of their catamaran, said Marshall Cherry, chief of the Currituck Outer Banks unit. After calling the Coast Guard for help, a lifeguard sped north and east from where the couple had left the catamaran trailer on shore. The lifeguard picked up the woman, and a Coast Guard helicopter from Elizabeth City lifted and carried the man to the fire station in Corolla.
Neither was seriously injured, Cherry said.
When the call first came in, the catamaran was about three miles offshore, he said. With the wind blowing at 10 to 15 mph, the craft rapidly drifted farther out.
Both were wearing life jackets. The couple was able to avoid the 50-degree ocean water by holding on to the hull that was above the surface.
"They could see the lighthouse," Cherry said. "They gave us directions from the lighthouse. It was one of those happy endings."
Normally, the rescue service does not go beyond the horizon, which is about five miles from shore, he said. The two-passenger personal watercraft is about 12 feet long and can travel about 25 mph.
The couple was identified as Sandy and Rick LaRue of Corolla, said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 2nd Class Larry Chambers.
Reach Jeffrey Hampton at (252) 338-0159 or
jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories...015&ran=128658 
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