The owner of an 82-foot Californian luxury yacht was stunned to find the vessel washed along the Pacific coast on TV as authorities arrested three people on board allegedly trying to steal it, reported The Christian Science Monitor.
They found the yacht beached on the coast, 20 miles from its Sausalito origin.
The two men and a woman were found in distress, but when officers received a call from the yacht's owner they immediately handcuffed the suspects.
According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the police found leftover pizza and beer cans on the boat and they said the suspects were becoming queasy when they set sail.
The thieves took the vessel named "Darlin" from Sausalito before dawn and sailed it to Pacifica, along the south seaside of San Francisco, where it was recovered on a popular surfing spot, reported The Monitor.
Captain Joe Spanheimer of the Pacifica Police identified suspects as Leslie Gardner, 63, Dario Mira, 54, and Lisa Modawell, 56.
The sailboat is reportedly worth $4 million, available for charter at $5,000 per day, and accommodates six people in three rooms.
"We do have thefts of vessels throughout the area, but the theft of a vessel of this size is uncommon," Sausalito police Sgt. Bill Fraass said in an interview with Softpedia.com.
The suspects were surrounded by Sheriffs deputies on jet skies, the Coast Guard and a helicopter. They were unwilling to abort the sailboat when authorities asked for proper documentation.
The boat's owner, John Fruth, watched the whole scene unfold on TV, reported The Monitor, then called the authorities as they were luring the suspects out to tell them the yacht was indeed his and he reported it stolen.
"Right now, the boat seems to be staying together, which is good news," said Eric Laughlin, Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman, in an interview with The Chronicle.
According to the Parker Driving Services' Tim Parker, the boat had a 10-foot keel that was stuck in the sand several feet deep. The Chronicle reported crews will wait until high-tide to nudge the boat out.
"As nice as the boat is - and it's real nice - it was not designed to be pulled," Parker told The Chronicle. "It's not a tugboat."
