Harbor Patrol kept busy in troubled waters

-- Alex Coolman

NEWPORT HARBOR -- Harbor Patrol officials responded to two boats in

distress Wednesday afternoon, plucking sailors from a capsized boat out

of the harbor entrance and towing a sinking vessel to safety.

The rescue operation began with a distress call at about 3 p.m., said

Harbor Patrol Sgt. Ron Peoples. Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol

boats came to the aid of a 28-foot powerboat that was taking on water off

Cameo Shores.

“One of his pumps was working, but it just wasn’t working fast enough”

to compensate for a large leak toward the stern of the boat, Peoples

said. “He had well over 2 feet of water in the bottom of the boat by the

time we got to him.”

Harbor Patrol deputies towed the boat to South Coast Shipyard in

Newport Beach.

Soon afterward, a 12-foot boat capsized in the entrance to Newport

Harbor, sending its two occupants swimming frantically for the rocks of

the jetty.

“[The Harbor Patrol] was able to right the boat,” Peoples said. “They

got [the swimmers] on board and everything was fine.”

It was an eventful afternoon after what Peoples described as a

surprisingly problem-free Labor Day Weekend.