Three sailors rescued from capsized boat

Three people trapped by the ocean tide and steep terrain were rescued from a beach Saturday afternoon on the San Mateo County coast, a Cal Fire battalion chief said.

Firefighters responded at 12:11 p.m. to a capsized vessel in the surf near Cowell-Purisima Trail and the intersection of state Highway 1 and Verde Road, Battalion Chief Ari Delay said.

Three people on board the roughly 16-foot boat were fishing off the rocks when the boat lost power and flipped over.

All three were able to get to the beach, but they could not find a way out of the C-shaped cove because of the high tide and the steepness of the cliff behind them.

Firefighters were able to find a small trail up the cliff and they helped two people hike out. A third person was lifted out by the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, Delay said.

All three were treated at the scene by paramedics and released.

Coast Guard officials are working with the skipper of the boat to retrieve the vessel.

One of the three sailors removed the fuel tank from the boat and put it up against the cliff temporarily so fuel would not get in the ocean.