ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Coast Guard rescued a paddleboater under the influence of alcohol near the Bay Bridge in Oakland, Calif. Saturday.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center received notification from a good Samaritan, reporting an unconscious person in a two-person paddleboat drifting north of the Oakland Bay Bridge.
A Coast Guard Station San Francisco 29-foot rescue boat crew, a crew from Vessel Assist and an Oakland Fire Department rescue boat crew responded to the person in distress.
The 29-foot rescue boat arrived on scene and determined the person to be under the influence.
The person and the paddleboat were safely brought to shore where the intoxicated mariner was transferred to awaiting authorities.
Boaters are reminded that shipping channels throughout the San Francisco Bay are high traffic waterways and mariners should boat responsibly, wear their life jackets and keep a sharp lookout at all times.
“This person was fortunate to have not fallen overboard and passed along his gratitude for the report from the good Samaritan who saw something out of place and reported it,” said Captain Michael Day, Sector San Francisco Deputy Commander. “All mariners should boat responsibly any time they get underway.”
