ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Coast Guard responded to a capsized vessel approximately 24 miles off San Francisco Saturday morning.
At approximately 10 a.m., Coast Guard 11th District watchstanders received a personal locator beacon activation in the vicinity of the Farallon Islands. A Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station San Francisco and a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Golden Gate were launched and an urgent marine information broadcast was relayed over VHF channel 16.
The vessel Kitty Kat, on a whale charter trip, diverted to the search area. Once on scene, the crew of the Kitty Kat discovered a capsized 28-foot vessel with two people clinging to the hull and another floating nearby and immediately pulled them aboard. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, a Coast Guard medical evacuation could not be conducted though the aircrew remained on scene.
Under the escort of the Coast Guard boatcrew, the Kitty Kat brought the three persons, one of which was unresponsive, and transferred them to awaiting Southern Marin Fire Department personnel at Coast Guard Station Golden Gate.