SANTA CRUZ ISLAND : Man Rescued After His Sailboat Sinks
A Northridge man was rescued Wednesday by the U.S. Coast Guard after his 50-foot sailboat sank about seven miles off Santa Cruz Island, officials said.
Steven Beckworth sent a distress signal at 12:52 p.m., reporting that his boat Pursuit had hit something and was taking on water. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter that arrived at 1:32 p.m. as the boat sank, said Petty Officer Scott Wassermann.
The helicopter lowered a man into Beckworth’s life raft, who waited with him until the Coast Guard’s 41-foot boat arrived on the scene and pulled them on board.
“He said he didn’t know what hit him,” said Petty Officer Dana Bernard, who was part of the team that rescued Beckworth. “He said he heard a lot of banging and when he went below, he saw water.”
Bernard described Beckworth as an experienced sailor who had a fully equipped life raft and a radio.
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