By Mark Edward Nero
On March 31, Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach sent a reminder to area boaters regarding the importance in maintaining diligence in the safe keeping of personal vessels during foul weather.
The message was spurred in part by a recent incident off the coast of Abalone Cove, a shoreline park near San Pedro. The incident involved an unmanned kayak that was found adrift and resulted in a Coast Guard and local agency response. Several assets were used to search for a report of a possible missing individual, but the kayak was later found to have broken loose from a storm drain due to strong winds and heavy weather.
“These incidents where multiple agencies and assets are responding to derelict or unsecured personal watercraft can hamper response and search capabilities to those in need of actual assistance,” the USCG said. “The Coast Guard urges individuals to exercise caution when heavy weather is predicted and ensure personal vessels are properly secured at all times.”
The USCG is still searching for the owner of the kayak in question and ask anyone who may have information to call the Los Angeles-Long Beach command center at (310) 521-3805.
More Coast Guard information regarding safe boating is available at http://www.uscgboating.org.
