Update: Stolen Sailboat Runs Aground at Linda Mar Beach; 3 Arrested

Update 1:45 p.m.

Three people aboard a stolen sailboat that ran aground in Pacifica Monday morning have been arrested and transferred to the custody of Pacifica police, according to authorities. All three were arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen boat, said Pacifica police Capt. Joe Spanheimer.

Now that the occupants were off the sailboat, a salvage crew will come in to get the boat off the beach, fire spokesman Matt Lucett said.

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Update 11:45 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring a stolen 82-foot sailboat that ran aground in the surf in Pacifica this morning, an agency spokeswoman said.

The North County Fire Authority received a report of a boat in distress in shallow water near Linda Mar Beach at 5:18 a.m., fire spokesman Matt Lucett said.

The vessel "Darling" had run aground there, Coast Guard Ensign Corinne Gaines said.

Three people were believed to be aboard, and no injuries were reported, Gaines said. The Coast Guard dispatched a swimmer to supply the sailboat crew with a radio, she said.

The Coast Guard has ordered the crew off the vessel for their safety but has not received a response. The Coast Guard is working on a plan for how to get them off the boat, Gaines said.

Sausalito police received a call just before 8 a.m. from the owner of the boat saying it had been stolen from the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, Sgt. Bill Fraass said.

According to Fraass, the boat's owner was watching the news broadcast of the beached vessel when he recognized the boat as his own.

Lucett said it was low tide this morning, and the boat was stuck in about 4 feet of water. He said high tide will not peak until 10 p.m.

Once the occupants are off the sailboat, a salvage crew will come in to get the boat off the beach, Lucett said.

No fuel leaks have been detected.

Update 11:30 a.m.

Police and the Coast Guard have surrounded the 82-foot sailboat that ran aground at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica after it was stolen from the Sausalito Yacht Harbor overnight.

After hours and repeated requests by authorities Monday morning, the crew of two men and one woman finally come to the deck of the boat.

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Update 10:25 a.m.

The Sausalito Police Department has confirmed that an 82-foot sailboat that ran aground at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica was stolen from the Sausalito Yacht Harbor.

The owner called police to report the boat stolen after he saw the boat on TV this morning.

Three people are trapped on the boat and have so far resisted the Coast Guard's assistance.

The crew members did not place the distress call this morning. A bystander called authorities to report the aground sailboat, said fire spokesman Matt Lucett of the North County Fire Authority.

"This is not something the crew members can handle on their own," he said. "The Coast Guard is talking with them and trying to get them off the boat. High tide is not until 10 p.m. so the Coast Guard is also trying to figure out how to remove the vessel, either by pulling out to sea or onto the beach, not the best option at this point."

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Update 9:15 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring an 82-foot sailboat that ran aground in the surf in Pacifica this morning, a spokeswoman said.

At about 6 a.m., the Coast Guard responded to a distress call from the vessel "Darlin," which had run aground in shallow water near Pacifica State Beach, Coast Guard Ensign Corinne Gaines said.

It is believed that there are three people aboard, and no injuries have been reported, Gaines said.

The Coast Guard dispatched a swimmer to supply the sailboat with a radio, she said.

Coast Guard crewmembers remain at the scene as of 8:30 a.m. monitoring the situation to make sure the crew remains safe, but it is up to them to figure how to free the boat, Gaines said.

No fuel leaks have been detected.

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Update 8:50 a.m.

The sailboat is believed to be larger than first noted. The 60-to-80 foot long vessel with three people aboard is still stuck about 20 yards from the shoreline of Linda Mar Beach.

As of 6:30 a.m., the people on board were trying to rock it loose from the sand bar. According to NBC Bay Area, the Department of Fish and Game was on hand because the boat was carrying fuel, and the agency wanted to make sure that none of it seeped into the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard had arrived by 7 a.m. in order to help. The boaters apparently did not want to be pulled ashore, but were considering trying to float back out to sea. According to the NBC Bay Area report, they were handed radios about 8 a.m.

Coast Guard and fire crews will stay in the area until the tide rises and lifts the boat from the sand.

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Original post 7:10 a.m.:

A distress call was made to the U.S. Coast Guard this morning off the coast of Pacifica State Beach, officials said.

Pacifica police notified the Coast Guard of a 20-foot sailing vessel that was about 20 yards offshore of the beach just before 6 a.m., Coast Guard officials said.

As of 6:35 a.m., a Coast Guard boat and helicopter were searching the waters for the vessel, according to Coast Guard officials.

No injuries have been reported.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.

Additional reporting by Bay City News Service

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