Floating debris that a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted in the Bay while towing a disabled boat near the Golden Gate Bridge Wednesday morning turned out to be from a sunken 19-foot vessel that had been towing the very same disabled boat, a Coast Guard lieutenant said today.
At about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, a Coast Guard crew was called to assist a disabled 52-foot vessel near the bridge. While they were towing the boat, the crew came across a debris field that included at least one life jacket and other items.
The Coast Guard launched additional assets, including a helicopter, after initially not being able to determine the source of the debris.
However, the Coast Guard crew soon discovered the debris was from another vessel, the 19-foot boat, which had previously been towing the 52-foot vessel, Lt. Steve Youde said.
The boat sank after a fishing boat ran over the tow line, and a male, the sole occupant of the 19-foot boat, was ejected into the water, Youde said.
The male, who was uninjured, was picked up by the fishing boat and eventually got onto the 52-foot boat, according to Youde.
He told Coast Guard officials what happened, and the search was called off at about 9:45 a.m. because the Coast Guard “could very clearly determine no one was in distress,” he said.
