Coast Guard Rescues Man And Dog From Dinghy Offshore California

The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday rescued a man and his dog after they were reported missing from a sailing vessel offshore California.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles received a distress call from a 34-foot sailing vessel approximately 18 miles east of Avalon, Calif., at around 8 p.m. Saturday. The caller reported that his friend and his friend’s dog were missing, and were last seen 4–5 hours earlier before reportedly falling asleep.

The reporting party was unable to communicate directly with the Coast Guard on channel 16 and relayed information through TowBoatUS Ventura.

The Coast Guard launched a Station Los Angeles boat crew, diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal, and requested air support from Coast Guard Sector San Diego. Local agencies BayWatch Avalon and BayWatch Cabrillo also joined the search.

The missing boater was located by a Coast Guard helicopter crew approximately 1,400 yards from the reporting sailboat. The boater and his dog were in a dinghy, and BayWatch Cabrillo transported them to shore, where paramedics were waiting. The man had a “mild” case of hypothermia but was otherwise uninjured.

The Coast Guard towed the dinghy back to the disabled sailing vessel, which was towed back to Newport Beach by the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal.