2 men, dog rescued after sailboat is swept into rocks, video shows
Heavy winds temporarily marooned the sailboat on a jetty in King Harbor.
— -- Two men and a dog were saved Saturday after their sailboat crashed into a wall of rocks in Redondo Beach, California.
Video captured by witness Wayne Craig shows the dramatic rescue. Craig, who is a Redondo Beach resident, said he was walking alone the pier when he saw the boat crash into the rocks in King Harbor. After calling 911, he filmed the rescue.
“I saw the boat trying to come into the harbor and then go right into the rocks. It looked like a combination of issues,” Craig told ABC News. “I saw the diver just dive into the water.”
Grant Currie, who is part of the Redondo Beach Fire Department, was just getting back from a training exercise when the call came in. Currie, along with his captain, Matt Bandy, took their boat to the site of the accident, where they were faced with a dilemma.
“We couldn’t get close enough so we really only had bad options,” Currie said. “There was a lull in the water for a moment and I just jumped in and I swam up to the boat and told them they had to get in the water.” Currie said he was afraid that if they got too close by boat, they would get swept into the marooned sailboat.
The individuals, whose names were not released, were rescued with no major injuries.
The sailboat suffered engine and rudder damage, but according to Currie, the damage was not extensive.
These kinds of accidents happen a couple times a year and they can end up a lot worse, Currie said.
“We were fortunate," Currie said. "If those guys had been thrown off the boat on the other side they would have gotten killed.”