10 people, including children, rescued after sailboat sinks off Avalon, N.J.

Ten people were rescued from the water after a sailboat struck a jetty and sank off the beach at Avalon on Wednesday, the head of the beach patrol said.

The vessel, which originated from the Avalon Yacht Club, experienced an engine problem — it was not using its sail — and was pushed by heavy winds into the rocks of the 8th Street jetty late in the morning, Matthew Wolf, chief of the Avalon Beach Patrol, said in a phone interview.

The people on the boat — including several adults and the remainder preteen and early-teen children — had life jackets and escaped into the water after the boat became damaged and was sinking, Wolf said.

Five of the people were rescued by a WaveRunner used by the beach patrol, Wolf said, and the rest were rescued by one or more yacht club patrol boats.

The people who were rescued were “maybe a little shaken up, but were okay,” he said.

The New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the incident, Wolf said.

Debris from the wreckage led to the 9th Street beach being briefly closed, he said.

The heavy winds and the added danger of the rocks along the jetty made the rescues more difficult, Wolf said.

“It was a tricky situation, no doubt,” he said. “We’re happy we got everyone out okay.”

Joseph A. Mendez, general manager of the Avalon Yacht Club, said the boat was operated by the club and was trying to return from an educational sailing program when it lost its engine.

The yacht club responded with boats which are always on patrol when there are club activities underway, Mendez said.