The U.S. Coast Guard rescued one person from a sailboat that ran aground on Santa Rosa Island on Thursday, September 26.
Coast Guard watch standers received a report of a grounded 25-foot sailing vessel on Santa Rosa Island at 12:18 p.m., and coordinated the launch of a Jayhawk helicopter aircrew to respond. They rescued the mariner and transported them to Camarillo Airport for evaluation by Ventura County Fire Department personnel, according to the Coast Guard in a press release from September 26. No injuries were reported. The sailboat was removed by an unnamed local towing company and transported to Ventura Harbor, the Coast Guard said. When reached on October 6, a Coast Guard representative could not confirm the identity of the sailor nor whether they will face legal consequences for the incident — a request for further information is pending.
It is the second boat to run aground on the island since May, when a different sailboat reportedly crashed into the island’s rocky shores and started the biggest wildfire in the Channel Islands’ recorded history. It consumed a third of Santa Rosa Island — including the island’s rare Torrey pine grove — until it was fully contained in June. Ongoing restoration efforts — such as volunteer work to roll and place wattles to prevent erosion before winter rains — were seemingly unimpeded by the shoreline disruption.
The Independent submitted a Freedom of Information Act request in June to the Coast Guard to obtain additional details about the May incident, but the Coast Guard has yet to provide those details.
