Rescued Boater Dies In Hospital

A man who was plucked from the water near here has died.

A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the man Saturday afternoon, apparently trying to swim to an overturned sailboat in Saratoga Passage, Coast Guard spokesman Andy Devilbiss said. He was picked up by an Island County sheriff’s department boat and taken to Whidbey General Hospital, where he died.

The hospital identified the drowning victim as Donald Zook, in his 50s, believed to be a Whidbey Island resident.

In an unrelated incident, the Coast Guard suspended its search for a Tacoma man who fell into the waters off Washington’s coast about 12 miles south of La Push.

Kevin Devries was aboard an 18-foot fishing boat with his cousin, Tim Devries, when it capsized Saturday morning in about 60 feet of water, Devilbiss said.

Tim Devries, a petty officer stationed at Naval Station Bangor, was discovered on top of the overturned boat and transported to a Forks hospital in satisfactory condition.

The search for Kevin Devries was called off about 8 p.m. Saturday.