Man dies when Calif. sailboat capsizes

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Heavy seas off the San Mateo County, Calif., coast were responsible for the death of a sailboat captain, Coast Guard officials said.

Another man aboard the capsized sailboat was spotted by a Pillar Point Harbor Patrol vessel shortly after the Friday accident, was plucked from the waves and hospitalized, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The capsizing was witnessed by a beach-goer who saw the 34-foot vessel founder, while someone else at Pillar Point fired off an emergency flair, the newspaper said. Neither man was wearing a life jacket or full-body immersion suit, officials said.

Coast Guard authorities told the Chronicle it was unclear why the men had gone sailing during a high surf advisory, which had been triggered by 15- to 20-foot seas and 20 mph winds.