Kayakers safe after being stranded on NC river Posted on: 9:51 pm, August 3, 2013, by Web Staff, DURHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Two kayakers are safe after being stranded on a North Carolina river on Friday. Rescue crews in Durham County were called to the Flat River after the two got tangled in some branches. The man was guided to safety quickly, but it took a while longer to rescue the woman because she was wedged under some branches. The two were uninjured. WRAL reported that the woman spent almost two hours trapped with her lower body still in the boat which was wedged under the branches. The woman told rescuers she used a pocket knife to cut a rope that was pulling her kayak deeper into the obstacle and under the water. Rescuers said that likely saved her life. The boaters called for help by using a cell phone and a swift-water rescue team from Durham searched the riverbanks until they found them.