The captain and owner of a 40-foot sailboat was arrested after his craft ran aground and began to capsize at Venice Beach early Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The sailboat ran aground between the Venice and Santa Monica piers around midnight, said Sgt. G. Montoya of the sheriff’s Marina del Rey Station. Los Angeles police officers arrived first and helped at least three people from the boat to shore, said Lt. Marco Munoz of the LAPD’s Pacific Station.
“The captain of the boat was possibly under the influence so we notified the sheriff’s Marina del Rey Station,” Munoz told City News Service.
Montoya confirmed the captain was arrested on suspicion of driving a boat while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The boat remained in the breakwater between Venice and Santa Monica piers Tuesday at mid-day. Crews tried to tow the vessel from the area, but needed to wait until the tide rose so the boat could be lifted out of the sand.
No injuries were reported.
The blood alcohol limit for boating is the same as the limit for driving a car in California — 0.08 percent, according to the California Division of Boating and Waterways.
Violations can result in a jail sentence of up to six months and fines of up to $1,000. Two convictions within seven years could add a jail term of up to one year.
Shortly before high tide Tuesday, lifeguards dislodged the boat and towed it out to sea. The most visible damage was a main mast that snapped in half.
Photo courtesy of latimes.com
Story courtesy of www.nbclosangeles.com
