Coast Guard Rescues Missing Boater Near Avalon; Dog Missing

AVALON, CA — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a missing boater approximately 18 miles east of Avalon, authorities said Sunday.

The Coast Guard received a distress call at about 8 p.m. Saturday from someone aboard a 34-foot sailing vessel reporting that his friend and his friend's dog were missing.

"The missing individual was last seen four to five hours earlier before reportedly falling asleep," the agency said.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew located the missing boater in a dinghy approximately 1,400 yards from the reporting party's sailing vessel, authorities said.

The missing boater, suffering from mild hypothermia, was sent to shore near Cabrillo to awaiting paramedics. However the dog could not be located and was still missing, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited a Coast Guard spokesperson.

The dinghy was towed back to the sailing vessel, and a Coast Guard cutter towed the disabled sailing vessel to Newport Beach, officials said.