Coast Guard rescues five aboard sinking boat off San Diego

The Coast Guard rescued five persons Saturday night when their 30-foot boat, the PMS Escape II, was in danger of sinking 17 miles west of San Diego.

The Coast Guard station in San Diego dispatched a helicopter, cutter, and 45-foot response boat after receiving a distress call about 6 p.m.

The pleasure boat was taking on water, was listing and had no battery power for bilge pumps or other electronics, the Coast Guard said.

Four adults and a 15-year-old boy were aboard. Another private boat, the Jawbreaker, had also heard the call and was assisting the PMS Escape II when the Coast Guard arrived.

Coast Guard personnel used a dewatering pump on the stricken vessel and determined the flood was due to a faulty fitting in the engine, the Coast Guard said.

The boat, with the master aboard, was towed back to San Diego by the Coast Guard and then a commercial towing company. The other four persons from the boat were taken to San Diego by the Coast Guard.

Capt. Jonathan Spaner, commander of the Coast Guard’s San Diego sector, noted that along with all five persons wearing lifejackets, the boat had a backup radio, signaling devices and knew how to call the Coast Guard.

“Being prepared can sometimes be the difference between life and death,” Spaner said.