The Wine Down had a bit of a jolt Sunday afternoon when it hit a channel marker off of Bay Island, breaking its mast.
The boat was tacking in the bay around 5:30 p.m. when a stiff breeze tipped the mast and sail into the marker, a witness said.
The 35-foot sailboat hit Marker 11 and somewhat “wrapped around it,” said the Harbor Patrol’s Newport Beach watch commander, Sgt. Mike Robertson, so getting it loose was a bit of a challenge. Once freed
, the boat was pulled to a mooring and secured for the night.
Robertson didn’t know the exact wind speed but said it had picked up.
There were no injuries, he said.
