Boat Capsizes; No Injuries Reported

A boat carrying four women and four men capsized near Haulover Beach on Sunday afternoon. Two passengers were pregnant. No injuries were reported. Rough seas caused the 20-foot vessel to capsize, spilling the boat's occupants into the water, according to Brian Hawthorne, co-owner of Sea Tow Miami, who assisted in the rescue effort. The boat was struck by a series of waves as it was making a turn about a mile east of the Haulover inlet. ''Everybody walked to the wrong side of the boat and the boat rolled over,'' Captain Ernie Blanco of Sea Tow Miami said. ``They weren't even moving.''Although Hawthorne said the ''Puma'' powerboat was rated to carry eight passengers, Blanco said the boaters were in a precarious situation. ''Luckily they were at least wearing life vests,'' he said. ``There were too many people . . . for the size of the boat they were in.'' ``If it had been rougher seas, it could have been a lot worse.'' According to Blanco, a ''Good Samaritan'' returning from a morning at sea spotted the overturned boat and called Sea Tow Miami. Indian Creek Police and the Coast Guard also were on scene for the rescue effort. The boat's passengers were returned safely to shore, and the boat was uprighted and towed to the Haulover Marina.