Cause Tentatively Determined in Boat Collision

Preliminary investigation into a collision of two sportfishing boats carrying 32 people indicates that one skipper was asleep at the helm and the other was absent from the bridge, a Coast Guard investigator said Thursday.

General charges of negligence are likely to be made, jeopardizing the licenses of Aztec operator Lorna Roberts and Temptress operator Craig Stanton, said Lt. Larry Solberg of the Coast Guard’s San Diego marine safety office.

The 65-foot Aztec, carrying 19 passengers and five crew members, collided head-on with the 50-foot Temptress, with five passengers and three crew members, a little before 3 a.m. Tuesday near the Coronado Islands. Three people suffered minor injuries.

Findings indicate that both boats were on autopilot when they collided, Solberg said. Stanton reportedly left the bridge of the Temptress unoccupied when he went to inspect the engine room, according to Solberg. Roberts, the operator of the Aztec at the time of the crash, appeared to have dozed off, he said.

As a result of the collision, the Temptress sank, and the Aztec’s bow was damaged forcing the boat to be towed to port.