Next Time Turn on the Chartplotter

Around 11 p.m. on Saturday night, the skipper of the 52-ft motoryacht Giant Feet ran the boat up on Coyote Point Marina’s sea wall, which was covered by water thanks to unusually extreme tides. KGO Channel 7 interviewed the owner, who claimed he was unaware of the sea wall’s exisitence, which is clearly marked on NOAA charts, and mistook a light ashore for that of the marina’s. All 26 people onboard — they were having a birthday party — were pulled off uninjured in the wee hours of Sunday morning by Coast Guard personnel. Later Sunday afternoon, the boat, which had laid over as the tide went out, reportedly turned turtle as the tide came back in. The Coast Guard has installed oil booms around the wreck while the owners are coordinating a salvage operation.

This is a great reminder to keep your bearings when you’re out on the water, especially at night, consult your chart often and never cut corners. Navigational aids are there for a reason.