Coast Guard Rescues 2 From Stranded Sailboat Off Daly City During Weekend Atmospheric River Storm
DALY CITY (CBS SF) – Two people on a sailboat during Sunday's stormy weather were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard crews, after their vessel became disabled off the coast near Daly City.
Around 5:55 p.m., officials at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco received word that a 37-foot sailboat with two onboard was drifting about two miles from shore. A helicopter crew and a lifeboat crew were launched.
Coast Guard pilot Lt. Jacob Schroeder said the pair on board were a father and daughter. The aircrew arrived on scene around 6:50 p.m., as a major atmospheric river storm was passing over the Bay Area.
"Winds were pretty strong out of the south, ripping out. Seas, were a little heavy, about 9 to 10 foot seas, but we were able to find them pretty easily," Schroeder said.
Crews then deployed a rescue swimmer to the boat, rescuing the father on board.
The lifeboat crew arrived on scene, but could not tow the boat, which moved close to shore.
Around 7:30 p.m., the boat ran aground, with the daughter remaining on board. The rescuer was lowered from the helicopter again to rescue the woman from the beach.
Both people on the sailboat were taken to Air Station San Francisco, where they were seen by medical personnel for minor injuries.
"In the Christmas season, this safe and successful extraction is much more meaningful to us, knowing that we were able to return these two members to their families," Schroeder said.
Officials said there was little or no fuel on board the vessel and that there were no reports of pollution coming from the boat as of Sunday evening.
