Coast Guard airlifts ill Jacksonville man - George Erwin Safe at Home

44-year-old Jacksonville man who became ill aboard a tugboat off the coast of North Carolina was hoisted from the boat by a Coast Guard helicopter Wednesday and taken to a Myrtle Beach hospital, authorities said. George Erwin was taken from the boat after experiencing swelling caused by diabetes, according to the Coast Guard. The 80-foot tugboat Socrates was in 10-foot seas about 40 miles east of Cape Fear, N.C., when the Coast Guard was called. A helicopter from Air Facility Charleston diverted from a training exercise and a rescue swimmer was dropped onto the boat. Erwin was placed in a hoist basket and lifted from the boat just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, according to the Coast Guard. Dana Treen