Silly people.....

The U.S. Coast Guard has taken into custody the captain of a suspicious sailboat that fled from the Sausalito area Sunday, a spokesman said.

An 87-foot Coast Guard patrol boat was able to intercept the sailboat west of the Golden Gate Bridge around 7 p.m., Officer Mark Leahey said.

The boat's captain initially demanded the boarding party put away its guns, but the unit was able to board and take him into custody, Leahey said.

The 30-foot sailboat caught the Coast Guard's attention around 4 p.m. when it was spotted by a unit patrolling in Richardson Bay near Sausalito, Leahey said.

The sailboat had no flag flying and no markings of any kind indicating its name or origin, which is highly unusual, Leahey said.

The Coast Guard unit attempted to contact and board the boat, but the captain refused permission to board, and may have threatened members of the boarding crew, Leahey said.

The Coast Guard unit called for backup from the larger Coast Guard patrol boat, as well as the Sausalito police and the Marin County Sheriff's Office.

While it was waiting, however, the sailboat got underway around 5 p.m. Leahey said the boat was allowed to sail away based on safety considerations at the time.

The Coast Guard tailed the boat past the Golden Gate Bridge while it waited for the larger patrol boat to arrive.

The sailboat was being taken back to Sausalito and the captain was being taken back to local authorities in Marin County. It was not clear what charges he might face, if any, or what his motive was for fleeing the Coast Guard, Leahey said.