LAGUNA BEACH : Boat Runs Aground in Fog; 2 Uninjured

Two South County boaters escaped to shore unhurt early Thursday after their 27-foot cabin cruiser ran aground in heavy fog on a rocky point just off posh Irvine Cove.

Scott Darryl Parker, 27, of San Clemente, and Timothy Sheldon Durso, 30, of San Juan Capistrano, a co-owner of the boat, told sheriff’s deputies the heavy fog caused them to lose track of where they were going, according to Sheriff’s Department Lt. Richard Olson.

Both men were cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and released after deputies found a small amount of the drug, Olson said. Olson declined to say where the drugs were found but added that the incident remains under investigation.

The two men had traveled from Dana Point to Newport Beach for dinner and ran aground on the return trip to Dana Point about 2:30 a.m., Olson said. The pair managed to walk to the beach of a gate-guarded community and call for help, Olson said.

The boat, a 1990 Regal Commander 265 twin screw outboard worth about $55,000, was towed to Newport Harbor for repairs, said Stephen J. Vogt of San Juan Capistrano, another of the boat’s co-owners. The rocks tore a hole in the bottom of the boat and broke one of the outboard engines, said Randall D. Durso, Timothy’s brother and another co-owner.