Wreckage remains

A sergeant for the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol said a boat that sank off Corona del Mar State Beach remained underwater Saturday as officials waited for its owner to arrange a dredging.

Sgt. David Ginther said most of the 40-foot boat, which sank at its mooring Friday morning, had settled on the ocean floor while a few parts washed onto the beach.

He noted that the boat did not pose an environmental hazard because it contained only a small amount of fuel. If the wreckage did pose a threat, he said, the U.S. Coast Guard might intervene to have the boat removed as quickly as possible.

“It’s the responsibility of the boat owner to contract with a salvage company, and then the salvage company will raise the boat,” Ginther said.

The 1967 wooden-hulled boat sank at about 9 a.m. No people were on board, but officers rescued a cat belonging to the owner.

Mitch White, a Newport Beach lifeguard captain, said the sinking hadn’t had a major effect on activity in the water.

“That beach doesn’t have a lot of surfing at this time of year, and few people go on the water,” he said.