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SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a distress call from a 33-foot pleasure craft with two people on board taking on water approximately 11 miles south of Angels Gate Saturday.
The distress call came in over VHF radio from the vessel operator reporting one foot of water on board, sinking rapidly.
Coast Guard assets responding to the case included a 41-foot utility boat and a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles, and the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal, an 87-foot Marine Protector Class patrol boat. Coast Guard assets were joined in response by Baywatch Isthmus and Baywatch Cabrillo. A Catalina Express ferry was also diverted to the scene to provide assistance.
Baywatch Cabrillo recovered the two individuals on board from the water, unharmed. The boaters were transported safely to Wilmington Marina. The vessel sank in 2,500 feet of water.
Around the same time, the Coast Guard received a call from Vessel Assist reporting a 35-foot sailing vessel experiencing a steering casualty and taking on water 8 miles south of Point Fermin.
The Coast Guard diverted a 25-foot response boat from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles, and the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal to the scene.
The steering casualty was confirmed and no ingress of water was found.
The Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal escorted the vessel to Angels Gate. An asset from Vessel Assist, a commercial marine assistance provider, then took control of the vessel.
The boaters in these cases were able to communicate with the Coast Guard by using their VHF marine-band radios on channel 16 and were quickly assisted. In addition to having a VHF marine-band radio on board, the Coast Guard offers some additional safety tips:
Wear your life jacket. The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that life jackets could have saved the lives of over 80 percent of boating fatality victims.
Register your EPIRB. Response time is the key to survival. The sooner help arrives, the better chance you have of surviving. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) provide the fastest and most accurate way the Coast Guard has of locating and rescuing persons in distress.
Have a Vessel Safety Check. It’s a great way of learning about problems that might put you in violation of state or federal laws, or worse, create danger for you or your passengers on the water. Best of all, it’s free. For more information, visit www.safetyseal.net
Take a boating safety course. You can learn the basics about your vessel and the "rules of the road" in America's Boating Course, a new electronic boating course produced through a partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons. For more information, visit www.americasboatingcourse.com
Never boat under the influence (BUI). Intoxicated boaters can face both federal and state charges with penalties of up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.
File a float plan. There are too many facts that need to be accurately remembered and conveyed in an emergency situation. Without a float plan you are counting on someone else, a friend, a neighbor, or a family member to remember detailed information that rescue personnel need in order to find you. For more information, visit www.floatplancentral.org
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