Six rescued from sinking boat

Six people were saved during a dramatic boat rescue Sunday afternoon when a 31-foot vessel sheared its hull along a reef off Crystal Cove State Beach and nearly sank.

Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol officials said the 31-foot Anna Jane out of Huntington Harbor severely damaged its hull about 5:30 p.m. Sunday when it ran over the Split Rock Reef.

Six people, including a child, were aboard when it crashed and were not wearing life jackets, said Harbor Patrol Deputy Jim Slikker. The operator suffered cuts to his head, a woman was cut on the chin and a third person was bruised during the crash, said Sgt. David Ginther.

Lifeguards on shore swam out to assist while two Harbor Patrol boats rushed to keep the rapidly sinking boat above water.

The boat was already about three and a half feet submerged when the two Harbor Patrol fireboats arrived and began pumping out water, Slikker said.

Even while the boats pumped out a combined 400 gallons of water per minute, the water was coming on so fast rescuers could only keep it from sinking more instead of actually clearing the deck of water, Slikker said.

“They were next to the rocks, the conditions were pretty bumpy out there,” Slikker said. Someone could have died had rescuers arrived minutes later, he added.

Harbor Patrol officials towed the Anna Jane to a local shipyard, where workers there said the boat was totaled, officials said.

Authorities are still investigating the crash.