BRINNON — A 65-foot pleasure craft has sunk near Pleasant Harbor.
All four people involved departed the vessel, Avalon, and made it ashore safely at Pleasant Harbor State Park in a skiff that had been towing the boat, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jordan Akiyama said.
The vessel, owned by Randy Schleich, hometown unknown, had engine trouble and was being towed by a 14-foot skiff owned by a friend of Schleich’s when it ran aground at about 2:30 a.m. today (Sunday), Akiyama said.
The boat had up to 500 gallons of diesel fuel aboard and a thin sheen is on the water, Akiyama added.
It is not known now how much fuel escaped, said Sandy Howard, state Department of Ecology spokeswoman.
Absorbent pads and containment booms were placed near the vessel, Howard said.
“The number one goal right now is to find the fuel tanks and off-load the fuel so it isn’t spilled,” Howard said.
Divers were able to close off the vents to the vessel to stop fuel from seeping into the water, Akiyama said at about 2:30 p.m.
Officials said they were working with the vessel’s owner to develop a plan to remove the fuel.
Akiyama said that the boat was being moved from one slip to another when it developed engine trouble. It was being towed when it ran aground.
“It was a series of unfortunate events,” he said.
The Coast Guard will look into the cause, he added.
