OAKLAND, Calif., – The Coast Guard rescued a man after his pleasure craft ran aground and began taking on water in the Oakland Estuary, today.
At 8:48 a.m., Coast Guard Sector San Francisco received a distress call from a 36-foot cabin cruiser, Sea Gypsy, stating that the vessel had run aground and was taking on water with one person aboard.
Coast Guard Sector San Francisco immediately launched a 41-foot motorlife boat from Station San Francisco and an HH-65 “Dolphin” helicopter from Air Station San Francisco, which was in the vicinity conducting operations at the time of the distress call. The HH-65 was the first asset to arrive on scene, and hoisted the man from aboard the Sea Gypsy. He was safely transported to Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco where he was attended to by EMS. There were no injuries reported.
The Coast Guard has dispatched pollution investigators to the scene to assess the pollution threat. Currently the vessel remains aground in the Estuary. There have been reports of a light sheen around the vessel. The vessel has two diesel tanks on board with a total capacity of 600 gallons. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the pollution potential and will work with the vessel owner to develop a salvage plan.
