Rope Leaves Officer, Patrol Boat in Bind

The Harbor Patrol was short one boat Thursday after a dangerous incident the night before in which a plastic rope wrapped around a propeller and forced an officer to swim for help.

Officer Wayne Gustafson was returning to Channel Islands Harbor about 8 p.m. Wednesday when the motor of his 22-foot Boston whaler stopped, its propeller jammed by the floating rope, said Frank Anderson, harbor manager.

Gustafson dropped anchor to stabilize the boat but, with 20-knot winds and 6-foot breakers, was forced to abandon the craft and swim to the nearby jetty.

Gustafson, who suffered minor scrapes while scrambling onto the jetty, ran a mile to the harbor office. He grabbed another patrol boat, contacted the Coast Guard and returned to find the boat overturned and floundering in the surf near shore, Anderson said.

Gustafson and the Coast Guard helped retrieve the damaged vessel.

“We’re fortunate that this was a qualified person who encountered the rope in such strong surf and wind in the dark, rather than a citizen returning with a boat,” Anderson said.

Harbor Patrol officials are still trying to figure out where the rope originated.

The 22-foot vessel was due for replacement next year. The Harbor Patrol has two other patrol boats, and it is likely the one involved in Wednesday’s mishap will be replaced soon, Anderson said.