Crowd Reels In Two Parasailors
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MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Beachgoers grabbed a snapped parasail cord and safely reeled in two teenage girls who were drifting over the shoreline Thursday.
It took dozens of people 30 minutes to pull Chelsea Waddell and Theresa Blaneford, both 16, down to the beach against strong winds, witnesses said.
“We were on top of a bunch of buildings, over streets and roads, and it was really freaky,” Chelsea said.
The line snapped as a boat towed the teenagers, both from Georgia, away from the beach toward the open Gulf of Mexico. The wind immediately carried them across the beach and over a line of condominiums and hotels.
“The pressure of the air in the sail was tremendous,” beachgoer Scott Eagers said.
“It was awesome seeing the whole beach react. Everybody didn’t even think, they just ran down, grabbed the rope and started hauling those girls down.”
The girls, who were unhurt, said the experience had turned them off parasailing.
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