Wind capsizes UC Irvine boats in Newport Harbor

High winds cut practice short today for several UC Irvine crew team members when strong gusts caused their boats to capsize, according to Newport Beach Harbor Patrol officials.

Between 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.,

three sculls capsized inNewport Harbor, Sgt. Dave Ginther said.

Officers aboard Harbor Patrol fire boats plucked 15 members of the women’s crew team from chilly waters after two of their sculls capsized — one below the Castaways community near the Pacific Coast Highway Bridge and the other in the area of Harbor Island. Nine UC Irvine men managed to swim to the docks.

The men and women were taken back to the UC Irvine crew base in the Back Bay. There were no injuries, but the boaters did need to be warmed up to avoid hypothermia.

Not very many other people braved the 59-degree water and 8- to 10-foot waves that hit Newport Tuesday, according to lifeguards.

Newport Beach Lifeguard Officer Skeeter Leeper reported the strongest gust at 46 mph, with sustained gusts in the mid-30s. One beachgoer frantically called lifeguards after the person lost sight of a surfer, but the surfer had just drifted about 20 blocks and was fine, Leeper said.

Rain showered some areas of Newport-Mesa briefly Tuesday, while other areas have stayed sunny, but windy all day.