Korpi
Korpi v. United States
Opinion
Opinion
Langford, J.
FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
I. INTRODUCTION
The morning of June 5, 1995, Plaintiff Glen Korpi was sailing his sailboat Dialogue south along the California coast, in the vicinity of the Monterey Peninsula. By mid-afternoon, he had been plucked from the surf off Asilo-mar State Beach, California by a United States Coast Guard helicopter, and the Dialogue had grounded on the rocks.
Mr. Korpi contends that he was safely anchored, seaward of the surf line. He himself was in no distress, but his self-steering had broken and his engine had stopped running, due to either lack of fuel or a clogged fuel filter. All he needed was a tow into Monterey Harbor, so he could make repairs.
He believes that the crew of the Coast Guard motor lifeboat (MLB) endangered his life and lost his boat by forcing him to cut his anchor line, before attempting to pass him a towline and taking his boat in tow. The attempt was unsuccessful, and, although he himself escaped with minor injuries, his boat was lost.
The Coast Guard paints a different picture: of a lost sailor, trapped on a lee shore , in gale conditions and confused seas, being blown toward the rocks, dragging anchor toward…