4 Aboard Sailboat Given Coast Guard Help off Baja Coastline

Four people on a 65-foot sailboat were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard officers late Tuesday after their vessel reportedly began taking on water during high surf about 400 miles southeast of San Diego.

Coast Guard officials said the sailboat, Joss, was moved after repairs to a safe anchorage in an area called Bahia de Ballenas (Bay of Whales) about one mile from the Baja coast.

Chief Petty Officer Charles Crosby, based in Long Beach, said a vessel reported to the Coast Guard in San Diego at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday that it had heard a Mayday call from the Joss. The Coast Guard sent a Falcon jet to the area. The pilot found the craft 15 miles from the coast about 9:30 p.m., the Coast Guard reported.

The crew of the Coast Guard plane dropped two pumps into the water, where the four-member crew retrieved them. “I don’t know if they patched or repaired whatever was causing the leak. They didn’t say,” Crosby said.

After activating the pumps and making the necessary repairs, the people on board proceeded to shore about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday.

The plane stayed with the crew until it reached safety, Crosby said. No injuries were reported.

Coast Guard officials said the vessel was based at the Long Beach Marina.