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| MH-65 Dolphin ©USCG (archive) |
SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard, California National Parks Service and a good Samaritan responded to a vessel that drifted into the rocks with three people aboard off of Santa Cruz Island, Sunday afternoon.
Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders received a may-day distress at approximately 2:00 p.m. via VHF-FM channel 16 regarding a 38-foot recreational boat drifting off the west end of Santa Cruz Island.
After Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach issued an urgent marine information broadcast, the commercial fishing vessel Spaniard and a National Parks boat crew responded to the broadcast and made way to the vessel in distress.
At approximately 2:05 p.m., an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco's Forward Operating Base Point Mugu diverted alongside a Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew to the adrift vessel.
The Coast Guard Dolphin crew and the vessel Spaniard arrived on scene at approximately 2:10 p.m. The Dolphin crew lowered a rescue swimmer to assist the three people from the water onto the vessel Spaniard. Once the Coast Guard RB-M arrived on scene, the three people were transferred to the Coast Guard boat and taken to Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor.
"We were very fortunate to have good Samaritans and the National Park Service in the vicinity of the distressed vessel to assist our rescue efforts," said Cmdr. Lushan Hannah, the Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach chief of response. "This case is an example of why strong partnerships and good communication with the boating public are essential to keeping mariners safe on the water.”
The Coast Guard urges all mariners to always wear life jackets while at sea and to have a VHF radio aboard their vessel to monitor safety broadcasts and to contact authorities in the event of an emergency.
There were no reports of injuries.
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