COUNTYWIDE : 2 Boats Rescued in Wind-Whipped Seas

Warm, dry Santa Ana winds blew across Ventura County on Wednesday, causing rough seas, two Coast Guard rescues and misery for people with allergies, dry skin or contact lenses.

Four- to six-foot seas caught boats off guard early in the morning as easterly winds up to 30 m.p.h. whipped the water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Margaret Jones said.

The Coast Guard made two morning rescues. About 6 a.m., the 60-foot fishing boat Mary Louise radioed that it was taking on water over the sides about seven miles south of Anacapa Island, Jones said. Coast Guard vessels escorted the heavily loaded San Pedro boat to a less windy area of the island.

About 9:30 a.m., the second call came from east of Anacapa Island where the 16-foot pleasure craft Fishtail was taking on water over the bow, Jones said.

Coast Guard officers transferred three occupants to their rescue boat and towed the Fishtail, owned by Bill Lally of Sunland, to Channel Islands Harbor, Jones said.

The winds caused the California Highway Patrol to issue a wind advisory for most of the county. It was still in effect Wednesday evening, although no wind-related accidents were reported.

Terry Schaeffer, National Weather Service meteorologist, said winds off the high deserts would taper off today. “There is no rain in sight over the next week to 10 days,” Schaeffer said.

Daytime temperatures through the weekend are expected to be in the 60s to 70s. The Santa Ana winds play havoc with some people, he said, causing skin to crack and allergies to flare up. “People just get irritated,” he said. “There’s electricity in the air. You pet the cat and zap!”