Fire officials said 19 people had to be rescued from a 40-foot sailboat near the Long Beach breakwater on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. Photo courtesy the Long Beach Fire Department.

Officials said 19 people aboard a sailboat had to be rescued by a Good Samaritan and the Long Beach Fire Department near the breakwater Sunday.

The LBFD received a distress call about the 40-foot sailboat around 3 p.m., right around the time winds and rain were starting to hit the area during a much-anticipated massive storm.

It appears the wind had broken off the boat’s mast and it was drifting into the breakwater’s rocks, LBFD spokesman Brian Fisk said.


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Two LBFD lifeguard rescue boats responded and found 11 people who’d climbed onto the rocks. A nearby vessel picked up the additional eight passengers. One passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Fisk said.

Rescuers managed to pull all 19 passengers to safety despite the rain and wind brought on by the storm.

“The rescue effort was hampered by the inclement weather,” Fisk said.