Posted by Randy on March 26, 2005 at 10:19:32:
In Reply to: 42-Foot Boat Sinks Off Point Vicente posted by on March 25, 2005 at 10:06:07:
2 fishermen rescued after boat founders off RPV coast
By Larry Altman
Daily Breeze
Two Morro Bay men fishing off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes on Friday were rescued when their boat quickly sank to the bottom for reasons that remain unclear.
James Patrick Shoemate, 24, and Dennis Dodson Jr., 19, jumped into the cold ocean, climbed into a kayak and watched as their 42-foot fishing boat, Southern Light, sank in front of them, authorities said.
"They did have a life raft on board; however the kayak was immediately available and the first thing they were able to kind of turn to," said Chris Grisafe, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman.
Shoemate radioed a distress call as he tried to sail toward Point Vicente to beach the boat.
"I heard around 6 a.m. the people on the boat yelling, 'Mayday,' that they were taking on water," said Sgt. Randy Lyman of the Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol.
Coast Guard officers also heard the call and raced toward the site, less than a mile off the coast. Lifeguards and the harbor patrol -- Lyman and officer Tim Dornberg -- headed in that direction.
The Coast Guard arrived first, found the men in the kayak and helped them onto a 25-foot rescue boat, Grisafe said. Neither man was hurt.
But the boat was lost, and was sitting about 40 to 50 feet below the surface.
Concerned about pollution from debris and the 450 gallons of fuel aboard the boat, Coast Guard officers monitored the site as the boat's owners worked on plans to try to salvage the vessel. Two 55-gallon drums filled with fuel also needed to be salvaged, Grisafe said.
Grisafe said the men had departed the Los Angeles Harbor and were headed to dock in Redondo Beach, where they planned to fish for squid Friday night.
What caused the boat to fill with water was unknown.
"The only thing I can guess is they broke a hose in their engine compartment," Lyman said.