The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man from a recreational vessel headed to Half Moon Bay that sank just outside the Golden Gate Bridge this morning.
At 10:41 a.m. Coast Guard crews responded to a mayday call coming from a 52-foot vessel approximately half a mile from the Cliff House Restaurant in San Francisco, said Coast Guard spokesman Aaron Coffin.
The owner of the boat communicated his location via radio to the Coast Guard and then abandoned his boat, boarding his 8-foot rubber dinghy, Coffin said.
The Coast Guard then launched a motorboat and helicopter to retrieve the boater. The rescue crew picked up the man at 11 a.m. and delivered him to medical personnel at Fort Baker, where he was treated for minor lacerations on his face and arms, Coffin said.
A helicopter crew circled the wreck and reported that while no oil sheen was visible, debris was present, Coffin said.
The owner of the boat believes that 20 gallons of oil were in the engine of the vessel when it sank, Coffin said.
"A good Samaritan aboard the tugboat 'Thomas' said that seven minutes after the distress call, it was submerged," Coffin said.
The powerboat, named "Crap Shooter" originated from a San Leandro marina and was heading to Half Moon Bay when it made the distress call. The Coast Guard has not discovered what caused the vessel to take on water, Coffin said.
According to the Coast Guard, the harbormaster at the San Leandro marina where the boat was previously moored said that the boat was not in good condition and should not have gone offshore. The harbormaster told the Coast Guard that the boat previously sank at the harbor in March 2010 but was salvaged.
An investigation by the National Park Service and San Francisco Police Department is ongoing, Coffin said.
-Bay City News
