Coast Guard Rescues Sailors on Tomales Bay

Yesterday evening on Tomales Bay, the Coast Guard rescued two teenagers from a swamped dinghy, which appeared to be an FJ.

“Members of a local yacht club contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco around 6 p.m. reporting seven of their sailboats were in distress,” a Coast Guard press release said. “The members reported three sailboats were capsized and the rest were inundated by the weather.”

Two 47-foot Coast Guard lifeboats, or MLBs, were dispatched from Bodega Bay; the Inverness Fire Department and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office were also on-scene. “Due to the strong winds creating unstable conditions for the sailboat, the [Coast Guard] rescue crew deployed a surface swimmer, who brought the two teenage sailors from the sailboat aboard the 47-foot MLB.”

The Coast Guard said that 12 other sailors, and their sailboats, made it to shore with help from a yacht club chase boat.

“‘The key factor in this rescue was that the sailors were equipped with the proper rescue equipment and gear,’ said Petty Officer 2nd Class Bryan Thurman, a boatswain’s mate at Station Bodega Bay and crewmember aboard the 47-foot MLB. ‘The water temperatures were in the low 50s, and having wetsuits prevented hypothermia. While the crewmembers at Station Bodega Bay train constantly for heavy weather rescues, the weather in Tomales Bay can turn quickly, and wearing the right equipment can drastically help a person’s chances of survival.'”