The U.S. Coast Guard rescued an intoxicated person in a two-person paddleboat adrift in the San Francisco Bay near the Bay Bridge this afternoon.
At about 4:30 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco received a report from a concerned citizen that an unconscious person was seen in a paddleboat adrift north of the Bay Bridge.
The Coast Guard and Oakland Fire Department responded to the report and deployed a 29-foot rescue boat to assist the person in distress.
The rescue boat arrived and the crew determined that the person was under the influence, but uninjured.
The Coast Guard crew brought the person and the paddleboat safely to shore.
The intoxicated mariner was then transferred to awaiting law enforcement authorities, according to Coast Guard officials.
Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Deputy Commander Captain Michael Day said the boater was fortunate to have not fallen overboard and said the boater was grateful to the person who spotted the paddleboat adrift.
The U.S. Coast Guard is reminding recreational boaters that shipping channels throughout the San Francisco Bay are high-traffic waterways and that mariners should boat responsibly, wear life jackets and keep a lookout at all times when underway.
Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
