Coast Guard Rescues 2 Boaters Before Disabled 52-Foot Vessel Sinks Off California Coast

U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard rescued two people aboard a disabled vessel approximately 11 miles off the coast of Petrolia, California, on Saturday.

After receiving a report from the two boaters, the Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay command center sent out a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew to lend assistance, according to a press release.

A Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay crew member looks out at the pleasure craft Wooden Mistress, 28 miles south of Eureka, Calif., Sept. 12, 2020.  U.S. Coast Guard

The rescue crew located the disabled boat, a motorized 52-foot pleasure vessel called the Wooden Mistress, at the scene at around 12:40 p.m.

Initially, they tried to stern tow the Wooden Mistress northward to Eureka; however, en route the disabled vessel began taking on water.

Two rescue crew members were then transferred aboard the boat and attempted to use a dewatering pump to expel the water. But as the flooding increased, the Motor Lifeboat crew abandoned the tow attempt and rescued the people onboard the Wooden Mistress.

The flagging vessel then sank approximately 28 miles south of Eureka, the press release stated.

The boat’s crew were brought safely to Eureka with no injuries reported.

The pleasure craft Wooden Mistress takes on water 28 miles south of Eureka, Calif., Sept, 12, 2020. U.S. Coast Guard

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