Per the Virginian Pilot, this happened earlier this week:
An abandoned makeshift boat that may have carried Cuban refugees washed ashore in Avon Tuesday afternoon.
The boat made of metal pipe, angle iron, wood and pieces of rigid foam carried a store of supplies including bottles of water, sardines and fuel, said Jarvis Williams of Jarvis’ Towing.
“It was amazing,” he said.
Someone reported the boat to authorities Tuesday. Rangers from Cape Hatteras National Seashore and members of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department came to see it between Avon Fishing Pier and beach access ramp 38, said Michael Barber, spokesman for the seashore.
The boat did not appear damaged and showed no signs that it had capsized, Williams said. Supplies were intact. A diesel engine still cranked. Labels on water bottles and fuel containers were from Cuba.
The boat appeared to have been abandoned for a while, said Joe Darling, ranger at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Coast Guard had not marked the boat with orange paint to signify the occupants had been rescued, a typical practice, he said.
Weird.
