WATCH: Man Rescued After Boat Capsizes Near South River
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- With tropical storm force wind gusts and the sun setting on the Chesapeake Bay, Andrew Clothier and his fishing buddies headed for the shore.
When suddenly they spotted something.
"A couple of guys on the back of my boat heard him yelling. There's something in the water. What is that? And then it clicked in my head. Oh, holy cow, that's a person in the water," said Clothier.
The man's boat capsized about an hour earlier near the mouth of the South River in Anne Arundel County. He still had the strength to swim.
"Everybody's adrenaline was really pumping at that time, and three of my buddies just reached over and grabbed him," said Clothier.
"I've never been in tougher conditions. That weather came up as fast as I've ever seen weather come up," said Tad McGowan, who was rescued. "I just stayed calm, that's something to have to do when you're in a dire situation like that."
But others were not so lucky when the strong winds blew in. At least two boaters died at a fishing tournament in Saint Mary's County.
"The overturned vessel located by U.S. coast guard helicopter with one person clinging to the top of the vessel," said Caption Kelly Johnson of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
The high winds also blew down trees and power lines across Maryland--from Baltimore City to Montgomery County. And made it tough to fight fires, including one that destroyed a golf clubhouse in Howard County.
"There have been some fatalities as a result of wind-driven fires, and it's something we pay attention to," said Assistant Chief Eric Proctor of the Howard County Fire Department.
The aftermath of a fast-moving, deadly storm front that lead to some heart-pounding moments.
"It makes you grateful for the opportunity to keep on living," said McGowan.
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