ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Coast Guard rescued a man and a woman stranded onboard a 17-foot pleasure craft at Chipps Island, today.
At approximately 6:50 a.m., Coast Guard Sector San Francisco received a cell phone call from the owners of a pleasure craft that their vessel was disabled and run aground. The people reported they were not in distress but were unsure of their location and needed assistance. From descriptions by the passengers onboard, the Coast Guard was able to determine their location.
At approximately 9 a.m., Coast Guard Sector San Francisco lost communication with the stranded people, and immediately launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, from Air Station San Francisco, to the scene. By 9:35 a.m., the helicopter crew arrived on scene, located the stranded passengers and hoisted them to the helicopter.
The disabled vessel will be recovered by commercial salvage at owner’s expense. The call from the stranded passengers was made from their cell phone, because they didn’t have a VHF-FM radio onboard their vessel. The Coast Guard strongly recommends boaters always have a working VHF-FM radio onboard in the event that cell phone service becomes unreliable on the water.
This incident serves as a reminder to the boating public to ensure they have all Coast Guard required and recommended safety equipment onboard their vessel, including properly-fitting, Coast Guard approved lifejackets for each person. All boaters are encouraged to wear their personal floatation device while underway, maintain a working VHF-FM radio, and have a emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) on board their vessel, regardless of the weather conditions. As the holiday weekend approaches, there may be a significant increase in the amount of recreational boating traffic. Members of the boating public are reminded to reduce risk factors by filing a float plan with a friend or family member. Doing these simple tasks could save your life or the life of your passengers should an emergency occur.
Additional information on safe and secure boating practices can be found at USCG Boating Safety.
