EMERALD ISLE, N.C. -- A Charlotte man got the chance to thank an Emerald Isle Coast Guard Crew who saved his life nearly a month ago.

• Charlie Browers was out for a Charity Fishing Trip when his boat capsized
• Browers didn't have on a life vest so he grabbed on to the hard-top canopy of the overturned boat
• Held on to it for 12 hours until the coast guard came 

On May 18, Charlie Browers was out for a Charity Fishing Trip with a friend when rough seas caused his boat to capsize near bogue inlet.

Both men were able to swim out from under the boat but that was just the beginning.

Browers didn't have on a life vest so he grabbed on to the hard-top canopy of the overturned boat, holding on to it for 12 hours until the coast guard came to his rescue.

"It was a survival thing," said Browers. "It was about keeping your mind straight and keeping focused on what you're going to do and where you're headed. I kind of had a plan in my own mind to follow and didn't let it go."

Browers says his friend, who was on the boat with him at the time, is doing well.