Sailors Rescued off Morro Bay

Two sailors were rescued by the Coast Guard in the early morning hours yesterday after their 34-ft sailboat was rolled and dismasted near the entrance to Morro Bay. Paul Bloch and Ken Price told KSBY News that they were on their way to the Bay from Marina del Rey when a "rogue wave" hit them around 12 a.m., sending the boat on a 360 that threw Bloch out of the boat. "We flipped all the way around in slow motion," Price recalled. "It was very surreal — everything in there was flying."

Bloch was able to reboard the boat but the rollover had taken the mast and killed their power, putting the men in even more danger as they drifted toward shore. "We had a handheld VHF that saved our lives," Bloch told the reporter. They were able to call a mayday and set off a flare, then anchored the boat outside Morro Bay until two 47-ft lifeboats arrived on the scene. The sailors were transferred to medical personnel on shore but the Coast Guard reports they suffered no injuries. The boat was towed to Port San Luis and hauled out yesterday.