Coast Guard volunteers rescue 11-year-old boy from capsized boat in San Diego Bay

Volunteers with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary rescued an 11-year-old boy whose sailboat had taken on water — and eventually capsized — in San Diego Bay on Wednesday, officials said.

Around 2:15 p.m., an auxiliary member on a Coast Guard ship in the bay heard the boy calling out to his father to say the sailboat he was on was sinking, Lt. Jo Green-Hart said. The boy and his father were on separate trainer sailboats, which are small and typically only have one person onboard.

After hearing the boy, the volunteer reported it to her crew members onboard the Coast Guard’s Aids-to-Navigation boat, and they sprang into action, Green-Hart said.

Although their boat is typically not used for search and rescue, the crew pulled alongside the sailboat, deployed a life ring, brought the child onboard, Green-Hart said.

The Coast Guard crew then gained control of the sinking sailboat and towed it to a nearby pier on Shelter Island.

The father, whose boat was unaffected, followed, and he was eventually reunited with his son at the pier, Green-Hart said.

No injuries were reported.