ALAMEDA, Calif. – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three boaters Sunday, after their 18-foot power boat ran aground in the Montezuma Slough, north of Pittsburg.
At 8:30 p.m., Saturday, the boaters called 911, reaching the California Highway Patrol who called on Coast Guard Sector San Francisco to take the distress call. The boaters explained their vessel ran aground while fishing in low tide and were able to safely disembark the vessel. They also requested to remain at the location until high tide to salvage the vessel. Coast Guard Station Vallejo located the stranded boaters and determined the location was inaccessible due to low tide. The station and sector remained in communication with the boaters every half hour through a marine radio.
At 12:41 a.m., the boaters requested Coast Guard assistance. Sector San Francisco notified Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, who dispatched an H-65 Dolphin helicopter to the location. By 1:33 a.m., the helicopter crew located the three boaters and safely hoisted them to the helicopter where they were then transported to the Napa Airport.
There were no reported injuries. The Coast Guard contacted the owner of the vessel to make arrangements to salvage the vessel at a later date.
The boating community is reminded to use caution while boating in the Bay Area due to shallow depths of water and tide changes. Boaters are also reminded to have a marine radio in good working condition because cell phones are not always a reliable source of communication while boating in the Bay or out in the ocean.
