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What Exactly Happened to the Low Speed Chase?

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At approximately 3 P.M. on Saturday April 14, the Coast Guard Center in Alameda, California received an EPIRB signal from near the Farrallon Islands. A 38-foot cutter named Low Speed Chase, which was speeding along in the Full Crew Farrallones Race, had just been rolled by a series of large waves. Five crew members were washed off when a large wave crashed over the boat as it was transiting around the islands. Then, when the captain turned the boat around in an effort to save them, two more people were knocked into the water by another wave. One of the initial five people was found dead in the water by the Coast Guard and retrieved. Three crew members were rescued off rocks near the accident (video here ). Four people are still missing, though the Coast Guard suspended their search Sunday at 8:04 PST. The Coast Guard does not have a set criteria for calling off such searches, but petty officer Caleb Critchfield said they do so only after there is no chance of survival and an area has been covered in detail.

“The decision to suspend a search and rescue case like this is never an easy one to make,” said Captain Cynthia Stowe , Sector San Francisco commanding officer. “The Coast Guard extends our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the lost crewmen and the deceased. They will all be in our thoughts and prayers.”

All of the other boats in the race returned to San Francisco safely. So what happened to the Low Speed Chase?

The Full Crew Farrallones Race began in 1907 and covers roughly 54 miles—from San Francisco, around the Farallon Islands, and back. Conditions around the islands are rough, and frequently include 10-20 knot winds and 10- to 15-foot waves.

Reports had 49 boats entering this year's race, and some reports say that waves were gnarlier than usual around the islands. Some boats turned back. A sailor named R. David Britt, who was ahead of the Low Speed Chase, told the AP he went wide around the islands because of the danger. “The worst thing is to have a wave break on you,” he said. “You can go up and down, up and down, but if a wave breaks on the cockpit on top of the crew, that's how somebody could get swept out of the boat.”

Britt saw the Low Speed Chase behind him as he went into his turn, but did not see it again when he looked back later. Crew members on another boat saw the tragedy unfold, but we're unable to assist so close to the rocks.

“It's a disaster—they were inside, too close to the rocks,” onlooking sailor Steve Hocking told the Chronicle . “Once you get in that close and a wave hits you like that, it rolls you over. There's not much you can do. The power of those waves is incredible.”

While some commented on the position of the boat in its turn around the island, Coast Guard petty officer Caleb Critchfield said there could be no official comment on the cause of the accident until a full investigation is complete.

The San Francisco Yacht Club , of which the boat was a member, held a private vigil for members and their guests. “It's a tragedy of unbelievable proportions,” director Ed Lynch told the Chronicle . “It doesn't affect just this club, it affects sailors all over the world. It's going to hit us hard for a long, long time.”

–Joe Spring @joespring

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Looking Back on Low Speed Chase Tragedy

One year after the tragic Low Speed Chase incident during the Full Crew Farallones Race, in which five sailors died, survivor Bryan Chong reflects on that horrific event and the lessons he has taken from it:

"There’s nothing in life more absolutely devastating than the loss of a loved one. It creates a sudden vacancy once occupied by a meaningful connection, awakens us to our own mortality, and forces us to evaluate who we are, what we’ve done and where we’re headed. For the family, friends and survivors, the April 14, 2012 Low Speed Chase accident at the Farallones changed our lives forever.

"Alexander Graham Bell said, ‘When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.’

"The door that opened for me catapulted me out of my old life and into a new one. It made me reflect on the decisions I’ve made in life and led me to readjust my priorities. It motivated me to stop procrastinating on things I’d do when I had ‘enough time.’ Instead of returning to work, I went on the road with my wonderful wife and infant son. We spent the summer driving 10,000 miles in our yellow Westy Vanagon around the West Coast visiting friends and places I’d always longed to see — Yellowstone, the Tetons, Glacier, Pikes Peak, Telluride and Mt. Rushmore, just to name a few. I finally saw a concert at Red Rocks and a rodeo in South Dakota.

"Then in September, instead of going home like responsible adults, we flew to Europe and kept adventuring until we ran out of good weather. All journeys eventually end, and in late January we finally came back to Marin. The trip afforded me the priceless chance to spend a year bonding with my wife and son. It also gave me time to reflect on life, the accident and those I’d lost. It was the trip of a lifetime and I wish I could have shared it with all my Low Speed Chase crewmates.

"Not a day passes that I don’t think about what went wrong that day at the Farallones and what can be done to prevent something like this from happening again. I was by no means an expert in safety before the accident, but since I’ve been home numerous sailing groups have invited me to share my thoughts on this topic. I always bring my tether and lifejacket with me to emphasize the basics, but I prefer to focus on the fundamental concept that safety only exists when everyone becomes a leader.

"Safety leadership isn’t always easy. It takes a willingness to speak up when others don’t. It’s choosing the safety of yourself and your crewmates over pride, appearance, comfort, costs or an engraved silver cup. It’s leadership by example and can be as simple as showing up early to make sure the safety equipment’s primed, double checking a teammate’s PFD cartridge and tether, tossing your favorite sailing hat in the water to force an MOB exercise, buying your friend a Spinlock lifejacket for their birthday, or setting the expectation that you’ll only crew on boats that take safety seriously. It’s investing in yourself by attending training, sharing what you learned with others, and following through when on the water.

"Over the past year, I’ve learned that sailors aren’t the only ones shifting their attention to developing a better safety culture. Tuesday morning, I spoke to the 200 person executive leadership team at PG&E, our local power company. Last year they lost five people to accidents that might have been prevented with the proper use of safety equipment

"I now routinely find myself in safety discussions in which I’m called upon to offer my opinion. I’m still not an expert on all the safety practices, but I do see three areas where we can start focusing.

Resolve to be a leader on safety issues. You don’t need to own a boat or be the most experienced sailor. You only need to care about the people aboard.

Take a sailing safety class. I recommend finding an interactive one with a small class size that requires attendees to calculate minimum depths using wave forecasts, set off flares, cut rigging, extinguish fires and enter the water with full gear.

If you’re in a leadership position for a yacht club or sailing team, recruit a safety instructor to host a seminar for your people.

"In 2007, Ashley Perrin and Paul Cunningham, who both specialize in preparing boats for offshore sailing, attempted to host an ISAF certified safety training class. Not enough people registered. Fast forward to today. In the 12 months since the Low Speed Chase accident, they’ve hosted seven classes at the San Francisco Yacht Club, all filled to capacity. Are we evolving as a sailing community? I’d like to believe we are.

"A door has opened for sailors to embrace safety. Many have already walked through that door and taken leadership roles on their boats. I’ve seen others pulled through by spouses demanding they attend a safety class before their next ocean race.

"This weekend, as we remember those we lost at the Farallones, let’s also keep in mind that this is our moment to cement a culture of safety by continuing to invest in training and equipment that will save lives. I truly wish for the memory of Alan, Marc, Jordan, Alexis and Elmer to be the spark that transforms this community of sailors.

"Be safe." — Bryan Chong

As Bay sailors will recall, in the aftermath of the LSC tragedy, the Coast Guard’s Captain of the Port of San Francisco Cynthia Stowe took the unprecedented step of temporarily halting permits for all offshore races until a panel of experts could be convened to scrutinize the incident and make recommendations for safer operations in future offshore races.

As explained by author Michael Moradzadeh in the Sightings section of this month’s Latitude 38 , a permanent advisory group called the Northern California Ocean Racing Council (NorCalORC) evolved from that process. "Improvements include greater consistency in race practices, education and information about core safety issues such as wave formation, gear lists that are practical and effective, and communications methods," reports Moradzadeh. Read MIchael’s complete report here .

This year’s Full Crew Farallones Race is scheduled for June 15.

Final report on deadly sailboat accident released

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Full report on Farallones Race tragedy released

Watch CBS News

Rescued Sailor Offers Harrowing Story Of Deadly Farallones Yacht Crash

April 25, 2012 / 9:07 AM PDT / CBS San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – One of the sailors who survived the crash of a racing yacht earlier this month off the Farallon Islands has given his first full account about what happened aboard the Low Speed Chase .

Bryan Chong and two other crew members survived and were rescued, but five out of the eight sailors vanished overboard when a large wave hit the racing yacht as it rounded the islands. Only one body was recovered.

Chong has written a nearly 4000-word account of the race, the wave that knocked him and his crew into the water and his subsequent rescue. The harrowing account, titled 'A Letter to the Community,' was provided to four sailing publications: Sailing Anarchy, Seahorse, Latitude38 and Scuttlebutt as well as two North Bay newspapers.

Chong said he chose the sailing publications "because they're of a kindred spirit and were the favorites amongst the crew of Low Speed Chase and those who already know the answer to the question, 'Why would you sail in the ocean on a windy day with big swells?'"

In Chong's full account of the tragedy , he described the moments just after the rogue wave tossed him and other crew members overboard just off the Farallones:

The best way to describe the water in the break zone is a washing machine filled with boulders. You don't really swim. The water took me where it wanted to take me, and when I was finally able to climb from the surf onto low rocks I heard Nick shouting from the distance for me to get to higher ground. Together we located Jay further down the shoreline. He was out of the surf but trapped on a rock surrounded by cliffs. From what we could see, nobody else had been able to climb to safety.

"Obviously it was something beyond the scale that the boat or crew could do anything about; at that point the boat was a toy on the ocean," said John Arndt, editor of 'Latitude 38.'

"It sounds like the whole day was really one more great yacht race that they were all enjoying, up until that tragic moment," said Arndt.

KCBS' Larry Chiaroni Reports:

Chong described a massive wave sweeping over the boat taking the five crew members overboard, shredding sails , snapping the mast, and washing all the flotation devices away. Arndt said that the tragedy has sparked plenty of talk about when to use safety tethers.

"I'm not sure tethers would have necessarily saved anybody, but that could be debated," said Arndt.

San Francisco Police investigated the accident and found no evidence of criminal negligence.

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Low Speed Chase Victims Mourned

The search was called off after one person died and four others are still missing after a boat involved in a race around the farallon islands ran aground saturday afternoon., by lori preuitt • published april 16, 2012 • updated on april 16, 2012 at 11:22 pm.

Four people who went out for a sailing race around the Farallon Islands Saturday are still missing two days after their boat crashed into the island's rocks.

The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search Sunday night saying they could not have survived that amount of time at sea.

In all, 8 people were aboard a 38-foot sailboat named Low Speed Chase when it was hit by a big wave that knocked several crew members into the ocean. The boat was then hit by more waves that forced it to crash into the rocks during the rescue attempt of that group. It is presumed that in all five people will be lost in the accident.

The Coast Guard and Air National Guard searched an area of more than 5,000 square miles over a period of more than 30 hours following the deadly boating accident Saturday afternoon, Petty Officer Caleb Critchfield said.

Members of the Rescue 129th and the Coast Guard were able to pluck three survivors from the chilly ocean waters 26 miles outside the Golden Gate. They also retrieved one body, but were unable to find four other people who apparently perished in the boating accident.

The names of the missing are:

Alexis Busch of Lakrspur
Jordan Fromm of Kentfield
Alan Cahill of Tiburon
Elmer Morrissey of Ireland

Most were experienced sailors. Morrissey was not. He was a visiting scientist and went along for the ride.

A fifth person, Marc Kasanin, 46 of Belvedere was pronounced dead after being pulled from the water Saturday afternoon. He was a local artist and had been a sailor on the San Francisco Bay all of his life, according to friends.

The three survivors were identified as Nick Vos of Sonoma, Brian Chong of Tiburon and James Bradford, who was the captain of the boat. All three attended a vigil for the lost on Sunday night at the Belvedere Yacht Club which was home to the crew.

Vos and the only woman on the boat, Alexis Busch, dated. Busch was a former bat girl for the San Francisco Giants. The team announced Monday it would hold a moment of silence prior to Monday night's game. During her tenure with the team, Busch was the person to first greet slugger Barry Bonds at home plate after he hit home run No. 500.

In a statement issued Monday by America's Cup to the family and friends of the Low Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Speed Chase, representatives offered their "deepest condolences" to the family and crew who died this weekend. "As sailors, we are all one family, and our hearts are with those affected..."

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The group was participating in the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race that began at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.

A man who identified himself as Captain Joe took the photo to the left on Sunday. It shows the boat on the rocks of the island.

It was not clear if it was seaworthy enough to be towed back to the Golden Gate.

Below is an interview with the Coast Guard where they explain what they think happened Saturday.

A century-old tradition, the Full Crew Farallones Race has never been for the faint of heart: Winds averaging 10 to 20 knots and churning 14-foot Pacific Ocean swells are among the rough conditions typically braved by yachts and their crews during the daylong regatta, a spring favorite of skilled sailors. But on Saturday, powerful waves and a disastrous series of events brought rare tragedy to the august race and the San Francisco Bay area's large sailing community. Two strong waves swept them from their boat near the rocky islands, the halfway point of the 54-mile race that began at daybreak in San Francisco and had 49 entrants.

The Racing Winds Blog

Live beyond expectation.

Low Speed Chase: Tragedy on the Farallon Islands

The tragedy of Low Speed Chase has jarred sailors around the world and, much like the Olivia Constants accident and the capsize of Rambler 100 , have been haunting reminders of the inherent risks of sailing. The yacht crashed onto one of the Farallon Islands, approximately 27 miles outside of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Pacific Ocean.

The incident occurred during the Full Crew Farallon Islands Race, which departs and returns from/to San Francisco, after rounding the South Farallon. Total distance sailed is 54 miles.

Sports Illustrated has a well-written article about the crew members onboard, describing them as “experienced.” For those who are unfamiliar with the events of the crash, the following is a brief synopsis:

While rounding the island, the most tactically challenging part of the race, Low Speed Chase suffered a beating from high seas and changing winds. According to iWindsurf , winds on Saturday ranged from 15-20kts.
While contemplating the next move, the boat was broadsided by a large wave, knocking James Bradford, 41, and Mark Kasanin, 46, overboard. Another wave swept the boat, knocking all remaining crew overboard with the exception of Nick Vos, 26, who was tangled in some lines.
Another wave or series of waves then swept the boat up onto the South Farallon Island. It is not known how far the boat was from the island at the time of rounding.
The USCG rescues Bradford and Bryan Chong, as well as Vos.
The USCG calls off the search for the remaining five, including skipper Alan Cahill, Elmer Morrissey, Alexis Busch, Jordan Fromm, and Kasanin.

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LOW SPEED CHASE: Farallones Race Inquiry Published

THE INDEPENDENT PANEL APPOINTED BY U.S. SAILING to study this year’s Farallones Race tragedy, in which five crew died after the Sydney 38 Low Speed Chase was capsized and driven aground by breaking waves while rounding the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, has released its final report . I urge you to spend some time examining it. The panel has done a very competent and thorough job and are to be commended for their efforts.

That said, I’m not sure I agree with their most important recommendation, or lack thereof. Having concluded, quite reasonably, that the cause of the accident was the crew’s failure to stay in deep enough water while rounding Southeast Farallon Island, the panel reasons in a rather cursory manner that a recommendation that the race committee set a course in deep water is not appropriate.

The relevant language, in its entirety, reads as follows:

The panel considered recommending placement of an offset mark or that the race committee set a course outside the 4-fathom shoal. However, we rejected these recommendations on two grounds: 1) it places an unacceptable burden of responsibility on the race committee to declare a specific distance off-shore safe when under certain circumstances a similar result could occur and 2) in any off-shore race, there are many similar shoal areas and points, which would have similar conditions and similar dangers. It is impossible to set rounding distances at every dangerous point. Sailors must be trained to the standards of seamanship to avoid such dangers. (See Appendix J.)

Decision-making regarding the course selection made by individual sailors participating in a race is an important aspect of the strategy central to the attraction of the sport. The panel believes that these decisions could be better balanced against potential risks if sailors were more aware of the likelihood of encountering breaking waves while traversing a shoal area. While there are no guarantees of absolute safety, risk levels can be greatly reduced by prudent seamanship.

A few illustrations from the referenced Appendix J give a good sense of the track of Low Speed Chase going around the island relative to those of other competing boats.

Track of Low Speed Chase in this year’s race

Track of Low Speed Chase compared to 14 other boats (40 percent of the fleet) rounding the island in this year’s race. Note the green line, which is the track of the only other boat to pass inside Low Speed Chase , just 11 minutes after Low Speed Chase capsized

Tracks of various boats in Farallones races from 2009 to 2012, showing how most boats stayed outside the 6-fathom contour. Note the second red track, passing closest to the northwest corner of Maintop Island, which is Low Speed Chase ‘s track in the 2011 race

What I find particularly perplexing is the panel’s statement that it would be an “unacceptable burden” for the race committee to determine a safe distance to stand off while rounding the island. First, the evidence seems clear as to what the common practice is (stay outside 6 fathoms). And second, the panel elsewhere in its report describes several accepted methods for calculating the depth of water in which waves are likely to break.

In reaching its hasty conclusion, the panel also fails to note that there are in fact other offshore races where race committees set course boundaries to protect participants from compromising their safety in the heat of competition. For example, waypoints for races through the Southern Ocean have been set to keep boats clear of ice. Or, as a much more modest example, competitors in the Downeast Challenge, from Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Rockland, Maine, are prohibited from using Muscle Ridge Channel, a rock-strewn shortcut, in their final approach to Rockland.

It seems to me the question of whether such a boundary is appropriate in Farallones racing is the single most critical and pertinent issue raised by the fate of Low Speed Chase . It is the one proscription that would certainly have prevented the accident, and there are good arguments to be made that such a proscription is entirely appropriate in a race like this.

Not that there aren’t good arguments to be made in favor of letting competitors set their own course and take their chances, as the panel urges. All I’m saying is the matter deserves a lot more discussion and analysis than the panel was willing to devote to it.

Next up, we should be getting a report soon on the Aegean tragedy in the Newport-Ensenada Race. A real mystery that one, and I look very forward to learning more about it.

(Photo up top by Sophie Webb)

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how do they reach the proper conclusion, and then renege on its implementation? foolish consistency remains the boondoggle of small minds.

all breakwaters should have an easily visible light to warn boats at night and all race course marks need to be always set a considerable safe distance from any shoals, shores, or rocks. that these two items would save the lives of sailors over the long term, i have no doubt. & with the multiplicity of sometimes incomprehensiblly non common sense driven rules of racing and sailing, i cannot understand their lack of implementation.

nothing else makes much sense.

as always charlie, i enjoy reading your articles on sailing, and appreciate your views and expertise.

Final report on deadly sailboat accident released

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Free Agency

Crashed racing yacht manned by experienced sailors who knew risk

Author: SI Staff

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The racing yacht that was slammed by unexpectedly large waves in a tragic accident that left one crew member dead and four missing was manned mostly by experienced sailors who understood the risk, according to friends and fellow sailors.

Eight people were aboard the Low Speed Chase on Saturday when a pair of swells knocked all but one of them into the water near the Farallon Islands and sent the yacht onto rocks.

Four had spent several years sailing together on the now-wrecked boat. They were joined by a shared love and the various skills they brought to a day or week at sea, said Adam McAfee, who was a member of that core crew and typically helmed the vessel until about 18 months ago.

"There is a part of me that is thinking, `Would this have turned out differently if I was on board?" said McAfee, 45. "Could we have gotten out of there without anything happening, unscathed, or would I be dead Number 6?"

The owner, James "Jay" Bradford, 41, of Chicago, recognized that he did not have the expertise to skipper a sailboat in rigorous conditions, but he took care and pride in working with a captain and putting together a crew he joined as a hands-on member, McAfee said.

The scion of a family that made millions through a Nashville-based brokerage company, the low-key Bradford had lived in San Francisco until a few years ago and bought the 38-foot vessel in 2006. He quickly began going on local and distance races to Hawaii and Mexico with fellow sailors from the San Francisco Yacht Club in Marin County, where he kept the boat.

"It's very much a community and very much a way of life," McAfee said.

With McAfee in the driver 's seat and Bradford working in the middle of the boat, Marc Kasanin, a professional artist and talented sailor close to their ages, was recruited to trim the main sail. Rounding out the group of regulars was Jordan Fromm and Nick Vos, strong young men in their 20s who had grown up sailing with the yacht club's youth sailing program, and Alexis Busch, Vos' girlfriend since the two were in high school.

"They were inseparable, they did everything together," Zoe Fritz, 20, a co-worker of Busch's at a Marin County health club, said of Busch and Vos.

Busch was a passionate San Francisco Giants fan who as bat girl for the team was the first to congratulate career home run king Barry Bonds when he crossed the plate after hitting his 500th home run in 2007. Her father was a longtime executive with the team.

She also played baseball as a catcher in New South Wales, and last year, while accompanying her there, Vos participated in the famed Sydney to Hobart yacht race, said Ron Young, a noted Bay Area sailor who knew the couple and had sailed with Bradford. As the smallest crew member on Bradford's yacht, Busch usually was tasked with performing maintenance tasks below deck.

A couple of months ago, Bradford started asking who wanted to be part of the crew that would race Low Speed Chase in Saturday's Full Crew Farallones race. The 54-mile, daylong regatta starts in San Francisco Bay, passes through the Golden Gate and rounds a craggy outpost known as South Farallon Island.

Kasanin, 46, was up for it. So was Fromm, 25, who was hoping to start up his own yacht restoration business; Vos, 26, who had been honing his competitive racing skills in Australia; and Busch, 26, who worked at a high-end health club.

A key addition was Alan Cahill, a 30-something Marin County resident, husband and father of two. He had immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland, had professional-level skills as a sailor, made a living as a freelance boat mechanic and paid sailboat captain.

Cahill was hired by Bradford to skipper Low Speed Chase as the only paid sailor aboard his boat during the Farallones race, according to Young. He would have been behind the steering wheel and making tactical decisions that day, Young said.

Bryan Chong, a member of the Tiburon town design review board, and Elmer Morrissey, an Irish citizen who had been living in San Francisco and knew Cahill, also signed on.

McAfee, who spoke with Bradford the day after the race, said the trouble started as the crew was preparing to round the island, the most technically challenging part of the race. Winds and high waves make navigating the turn difficult.

But while the crew was making plans for their next move, an exceptionally large wave broadsided the boat, sweeping Bradford and Kasanin overboard. Within seconds, another wave crashed into the craft, sweeping another five into the water. Only Vos, who got tangled in some lines, was still attached to the yacht when it ran aground on the rocks.

Another boat in the race that witnessed the accident radioed in a distress call. Coast Guard crews rescued Bradford and Chong, who had somehow managed to scramble up to the island's edge, and Vos, whose leg was broken.

Kasanin's body was found in the water the same day. Fromm, Busch, Cahill and Morrissey remain missing at sea. The Coast Guard called off the search Sunday night, saying the window for surviving in the cold Pacific had passed.

"We had done this many times before, and it wasn't new. It wasn't an unknown risk," McAfee said.

As well as grieving for the lost, members of San Francisco's sailing scene also are rallying around the survivors. Young worries how Vos will go on without his high school sweetheart.

"It's a very sad situation," said Dick Enersen, who grew up sailing on San Francisco Bay. "But everybody who thinks about it, and I hope most people do, know there are consequences and hazards, and stuff happens. In this case, it did."

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Farallones Deaths Follow Dangerous Year in Sailing

By Chris Museler

April 19, 2012

The Farallon Islands, 28 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, are known as the Devil’s teeth for the sharp, rocky spires that spring from the open ocean. Frequent gale force winds and steep, breaking waves make it a threatening shore for approaching boaters. But since the annual Full Crew Farallones Race began, in 1907, using the islands as the turning point, there had never been a fatality.

On Saturday, the San Francisco Bay was uncharacteristically calm when the 38-foot Low Speed Chase was among the 52 sailboats to start this year’s race. The boat and its eight-person crew even remained in the race after nearly half the fleet had retired after three miles, when the typically powerful wind from the northwest began gusting to 25 knots.

But around 3 p.m., as conditions worsened, the Low Speed Chase was flung into the rocks while making the turn at the Farallones, and its crew went overboard. Three were rescued by Coast Guard and Air National Guard helicopters. One body was found, but four others were lost in the swirling whitewater.

With participation rising each year in ocean racing events, accidents are gaining more attention. Deaths in ocean racing are so statistically rare that when three sailors died in accidents last year, U.S. Sailing , the national governing body for the sport, decided to form a panel and open its first safety investigation.

In early summer, a young girl drowned after becoming caught under a capsized dinghy in Annapolis, Md. During the Race to Mackinac in Lake Michigan last July, a 35-foot sailboat capsized in a squall, trapping and killing a couple . During the Fastnet Race in August, the 100-foot Rambler, with a crew of American sailors, capsized in the Celtic Sea when the boat’s ballast keel broke. All the crew members were rescued.

“Part of sailing is risk management,” said John Rousmaniere, a member of the panel and the author of “Fastnet, Force 10,” which chronicled the 1979 Fastnet Race , in which 15 sailors died. “You make one little mistake in demanding conditions, and suddenly it becomes a big mistake.”

The findings and recommendations from the U.S. Sailing panel were completed in October and shared with the sailing community at safety seminars this spring.

Rousmaniere, a safety-at-sea instructor, said the panel identified three contributing factors to the accidents: inconsistent stability requirements in races; misunderstanding of what the Coast Guard does and does not do; and confusing weather forecasting terms that led some sailors to underestimate conditions.

The Mackinac race has taken several of the safety recommendations to heart for this year’s event. According to the committee chairman, Lou Sandoval, the boats need to meet a higher stability standard, and new personal safety equipment requirements include a knife and a quick release tether for harnesses. Both changes address contributing factors to the deaths in last summer’s accident.

Rough conditions are expected in ocean racing, and safety investigations by national federations are not common. Rousmaniere said that after the deadly 1979 Fastnet Race, the Royal Yachting Association in Britain held the first known investigation by a national federation into a sailing accident. Recommendations from that investigation led to an overhaul of design rules, safety gear, rescue techniques and safety seminars that are standard today.

It was not until the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race , when five boats sank and six sailors died, that another national federation created a panel, this time in Australia. That investigation led to stricter crew eligibility standards and led to further safety studies by the International Sailing Federation.

As the sailing community in San Francisco Bay mourns , experts are trying to make sense of the accident at a time when personal locator beacons, safety harnesses and advanced life rafts should be preventing loss of life.

According to Laura Nunoz, executive director of the Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay, the competitors in Saturday’s race were required only to meet the minimum safety equipment list under the sailing federation’s Category 2 offshore requirements, based on the race’s proximity to land. A Category 1 event, like the 635-mile Bermuda Race, requires life rafts and safety education for 30 percent of the crew; a Category 2 event does not.

Sailing experts say that even the best ocean racers do not tether themselves to the boat when making a turn as they would in bad weather and at night.

But Kimball Livingston, author of “Sailing the Bay,” a book about boating in San Francisco Bay and the Gulf of the Farallones, said: “We can make it safer with new electronic equipment, and we have. But if you fly your airplane into the side of a mountain, your parachute does no good. And that’s what we may have here.”

Accidents and fatalities have occurred before in races around the San Francisco Bay. In 1982, four sailors died in the Doublehanded Farallones race, and one died of hypothermia in the 1984 running after a capsize. Two sailors were lost in the 2008 Doublehanded Lightship Race that goes only halfway to the Farallones. U.S. Sailing’s 2010 Hanson Rescue Award was given to sailors who rescued a group after they were thrown from their sailboat at the Farallones.

“Rounding the Farallon Islands, you are truly in an ‘other place,’ ” Livingston said. “It’s a moonscape. Rocks rising up. You’re out at the edge of the continental shelf, and seas travel for thousands of miles before they build up there. It’s spectacular and awe-inspiring. You just don’t want to get close.”

The 2013 America’s Cup will be sailed within the San Francisco Bay, and the event is working to manage the gusty and wavy conditions through design.

“Sailing the Cup here is intimidating, but that’s the game they’ve decided to play,” Livingston said.

He said that designers of the 72-foot America’s Cup catamarans, the first scheduled to launch in July, must balance the equation that says stronger equals slower.

John Kostecki, a Bay Area native and a tactician for Oracle Racing, the defender of the America’s Cup, said: “We’re taking strength very seriously. It’s pretty extreme inside the Bay. Bottom line is you need to finish races here.”

The haunting shell and shredded sails of the Low Speed Chase continue to be battered by waves as the Coast Guard considers salvage options off the environmentally sensitive shoreline.

“I can’t believe this hasn’t happened more,” said Kostecki, who sailed the Farallones Race when he was 11. “This stuff can be dangerous. You have to respect Mother Nature and the ocean.”

An article on April 20 about safety concerns in ocean racing events in the wake of five recent deaths in the Full Crew Farallones Race off San Francisco misstated the number of sailors who died during the 1982 Doublehanded Farallones race, which took place in the same area. Four sailors, not eight, died in the race.

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Low Speed Chase, High Speed Commiseration

By Tim Zimmermann
Updated: April 16, 2012

You never really get used to it. And you can never not feel empathy, sadness, and regret when sailors die at sea. It doesn’t matter whether you know them, or know their families. Everyone who sails boats on the oceans is part of a community that is bound together by a love of water and adventure, but also by the quiet knowledge that the oceans can kill. That’s why this past weekend’s tragedy during the San Francisco YC’s Farallones Race, in which the Sydney 38 Low Speed Chase lost crew overboard and then was thrown by heavy seas upon the rocks, hits so hard. One dead so far, and four missing. This is a bad one.

Here’s a quick summary of the details (believed) known over the weekend, from SFGate.com :

_Several boats turned back Saturday when 25-knot winds and waves as high as 15 feet churned up the waters near the Farallones, but otherwise the race conditions were typical for that area and this time of year, participants said.

Then, as racers were rounding the islands at 2:45 p.m., the Low Speed Chase was slammed by a powerful wave that washed five crewmates over the gunwale near the edge of the main Southeast Farallon Island – which, like the other islands, is formidably surrounded by steep, jagged rocks.

The remaining three on board turned the boat around to rescue their comrades when another wave heaved the boat onto the rocks on the northeast corner of the island, authorities said. Two sailors fell over the side on this second assault but managed to scramble to the shoreline, and the one left on board suffered a broken leg. _

Now is a time for mourning, for searching for the four sailors who are still missing [ ed.’s note: the Coast Guard suspended the search Monday morning ], and for supporting the families and friends they left behind. What happened, why, and the second-guessing that is inevitable, can come later when all the facts are in. And I realize that while social media has plenty of things it is not good for (in addition to being a potential time-waster), connecting people across a tragedy like this is one of the things it excels at.

For example, there is a memorial page for the lost and missing crew of Low Speed Chase on Facebook, where you can post condolences, pictures, memories. And Marc Kasanin, the sailor whose lifeless body was pulled from the water, has a Facebook page , as well. I didn’t know him, but I can see that two friends of mine did. And it doesn’t take but a few minutes of browsing to feel that Marc was a good guy, passionate for sailing and his friends, which makes his passing all the more poignant and sorrowful. I wish I had had a chance to drink a beer with him. Sadly, given the time that has passed since the four missing crew were thrown into the rough, cold water, it is likely that there will be others that we will get to know a little in their passing.

Lectronic Latitude was quick with an update that had the initial details. And a forum on Sailing Anarchy quickly brought forth hundreds of posts, with information, memories, and commiseration, and hit tens of thousands of views. I was on the opposite coast when the San Francisco Yacht Club held a brief service, but thanks to a forum contributor I caught the atmosphere:

_Was at SFYC last night and it was somber. There are no words to describe the atmosphere. The entire community is still in shock. Those who spoke at the vigil did an incredible job. Candles were lit, roses dropped in to the cove and scattered on Marc’s boat and many a tear shed. Ten bell salute towards the end of the evening. As we left, noticed 5 large candles lit and left on the front porch which I hope burn for a long time. Flags at half mast as Dixie posted a little earlier. Thanks to USCG and Army for the search and rescue efforts, the SFYC for their amazing PR efforts and getting the facts straight before making guesses and assumptions under the microscope of international press coverage, and everyone who has posted a thought or came out last night. _ Even the Coast Guard was quick to contribute to the growing archive of online info about the tragedy, posting a video of the rescue of three crew.

There isn’t much I can add that hasn’t been said or posted so far. I’ll be interested to see the facts that are brought forward. For now, keep the friends and families of Low Speed Chase in your thoughts, hug your own friends and family a lot, always respect the ocean, and—-most important–sail safe.

More: Farallones Race , Keelboat , Sailboat Racing , sailing news , Sydney , West Coast
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Report: Lack of ‘prudent seamanship’ led to…

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Trump was subject of apparent assassination attempt at florida golf club, fbi says, report: lack of ‘prudent seamanship’ led to fatal farallones yacht accident.

It was “troubling” that no vessels stopped to assist a Belvedere-based yacht during a fatal racing accident near the Farallon Islands in April, but it is unlikely their assistance could have prevented the deaths of five crew members, a safety panel reported this week.

In a lack of “prudent seamanship” the yacht, Low Speed Chase, steered too close to the Farallones shore – closer than almost any other vessel among some two dozen whose courses were tracked – before it was struck by a massive wave, the panel stated in its report.

“Hindsight vision is 20/20, but hopefully some good will come out of this (report),” said Steve Stroub of Tiburon, who sailed on another yacht during the Farallones race and knew the Low Speed Chase crew members.

The panel was organized by the nonprofit governing body U.S. Sailing to investigate the accident that killed five people during the Full Crew Farallones Race on April 14.

The five, all aboard the Low Speed Chase, were: Jordan Fromm, 25, of Kentfield; Alan Cahill, 36, of Tiburon; Marc Kasanin, 46, of Belvedere; Alexis Busch, 26, of Larkspur, and Elmer Morrissey, 32, a visiting researcher from Ireland. The bodies of Kasanin, Fromm and Morrissey were recovered. Crew members Bryan Chong, 38, of Tiburon; James “Jay” Bradford, 41, of Chicago; and Nick Vos, 26, of Sonoma, survived.

The U.S. Sailing report calls for improved training and education, in addition to new life jacket requirements

and improved safety inspections, communication procedures and race management practices.

The report is based on interviews with the survivors and more than a dozen other racers, a questionnaire and other information, including satellite navigation data for more than two dozen vessels that have raced to the Farallones in recent years.

In dramatic detail, it describes how the Low Speed Chase was struck by a wave more than 20 feet high as it rounded the islands, sending six people overboard. Vos and Chong, who remained on board, scrambled to help the others but they were knocked down by a second wave, sending Chong overboard.

After the boat washed aground Vos ran on the shore to assist the others, blowing a whistle to disperse a mass of sea lions barking around him. Chong and Bradford made it to shore but the others were not seen alive again.

“It was kind of emotional to read through that,” Stroub said. “I have talked to the survivors and heard all the stories but to sit there and read that you kind of relive it.”

While the wave that struck the vessel was large, it could have been expected based on forecasts, and the Low Speed Chase steered dangerously close to shore, the safety panel said in the new report. The panel reviewed more than two dozen sets of satellite navigation data from several Farallones races and found that in addition to the Low Speed Chase, only one other vessel traveled so close to the shoreline in the area where the accident took place.

“The panel does not believe that this course was selected with an understanding of the associated risks,” the report states.

“While there are no guarantees of absolute safety, risk levels can be greatly reduced by prudent seamanship,” it states.

The panel also cited inconsistency in the quality of the life jackets worn by the crew and gaps in radio communications and in race organizers’ records of who was aboard the various yachts.

“It’s really good for somebody who wasn’t in the race, who wasn’t involved with running the race to take an impartial look at it,” said Andy Newell, president of the Offshore Yacht Racing Association, which organized the race together with the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere.

“What I have read are really no surprises based on conversations that have already gone on,” Newell said. “There are a number of procedures that have already been changed.”

In its report, the panel faults other racers for not stopping to assist the Low Speed Chase, stating they could have helped by “signaling with those on shore, searching for those in the water, or providing continuing relays for radio communication.”

“Even though several boats provided assistance through VHF communications, the panel found it troubling that no boats appear to have dropped out or delayed their race in order to render assistance, which is a basic tenet of the sea, as well as the first Fundamental Rule of the Racing Rules of Sailing under which the event was sailed,” the report states.

Newell, who was captain of a yacht that was about 30 minutes behind the Low Speed Chase, said it would have been difficult to help amid the rough weather conditions and spotty radio communications.

“Even if somebody was in the perfect place to help them they would have been swept up in the same way, and if they weren’t swept up in the same way they were too far to help them,” he said.

In a statement issued by U.S. Sailing, safety panel chairwoman Sally Lindsay Honey acknowledged “the improvements in race management that have already been implemented locally in response to the tragedy.”

“We hope the effort we have put into our report will make offshore racing safer and promote broader awareness of seamanship principles,” she said.

Contact Will Jason via email at [email protected] or via Twitter at http://twitter.com/willjason

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What Happened to Low Speed Chase?

After the Farrallones race tragedy of 2012, The San Francisco sailing community, and the sailing community at large, were left awestruck and humbled, looking for answers and mourning with the families of the 5 who were lost. When it came time to pull Low Speed Chase from the rocks of the Farrallone Islands and bring her home, authorities needed a boat transport company they could trust. Someone with experience, integrity and who would respect the sensitive nature of the project. They called San Diego Boat Movers. As the premier boat transport company in California, and with over four decades of experience, they knew they could trust SDBM to be discreet, professional and flexible.

Low Speed Chase was hooked up to lifting straps and flown by helicopter from the southeast Farrallone island. A special private landing area had been established at Pillar Point Airport near Half Moon Bay, where the media and public could be kept at a distance, allowing authorities, the owner/captain, and the families to both further inspect the vessel and have some private time to mourn and reflect. It was a very moving time for us as well, but SDBM staff chose to keep our distance, providing perimeter security instead, and only approached the vessel when it was finally time.

Continuing Coverage

One Dead, Four Missing After Boating Accident Near Farallon Islands

A 38-foot sailing vessel named the low speed chase ran aground during a race around the farallon islands., published april 15, 2012 • updated on april 15, 2012 at 9:52 am.

One person is dead and four others are still missing after a boat involved in a race around the Farallon Islands ran aground Saturday afternoon.

There were eight people on board the boat Saturday afternoon. The participants were said to be experienced sailors.

The Coast Guard petty officer Levi Read said that a big wave hit the boat knocking four people off of the boat. The captain turned the boat around to get the people out of the water and that's when the boat was hit by another wave which caused the boat to crash into the rocks of the Fallallon Islands.

During the collision with the rocks, the captain apparently lost control of the boat completely. It was not clear whether the captain was among the missing Sunday.

Somehow three other people were able to get on to the rocks and were later rescued. It was not clear how the 5th person got into the water.

The Coast Guard said in all eight people on a 38-foot sailing vessel called the Low Speed Chase, were participating in the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race that began at the St. Francis Yach Club in San Francisco.

The Low Speed Chase was skippered by James Bradford, according to a list of race participants on the association web site. Brown described the crew only as "young people."

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The search continued Sunday for the four missing crewmembers.

The accident was reported around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read.

A helicopter from Air Station San Francisco, an 87-foot cutter and a 47-foot boat from Station Golden Gate went to the scene. They were aided by two Blackhawk helicopters from the 129th Air National Guard unit at Moffett Field.

Three people were rescued, Read said.

One person pulled from the water was pronounced dead. More than 60 boats had signed up for the annual yacht race, according to the Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay's website. All other boats returned safely, according to Gerry Brown, chairman of the board. Conditions on the water were "normal," with 10 foot waves and 25 knot waves, he noted. Brown and other members of the association, and of the San Francisco Yacht Club, where the Low Speed Chase is based, waited anxiously Saturday night for further word on the missing crew members. "We offer our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the missing crew in hopes they are returned home safely," association executive director Laura Munoz said in a statement.

Bay City News contributed to this report .

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Bryan Chong's first hand recount of the Low Speed Chase tragedy

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Just read this over at SA.... This letter goes out to a devastated sailing community still confused about the events surrounding the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race. There have been inaccuracies in the media, mostly stemming from the survivors' silence as James ("Jay"), Nick and I are still reeling from tragedy and the loss of close friends and loved ones. I've chosen to use Sailing Anarchy for distributing this story because they're of a kindred spirit and were the favorites amongst the crew of Low Speed Chase and those who already know the answer to the question, "Why would you sail in the ocean on a windy day with big swells?" I've also included the Marin Independent Journal and The Tiburon Ark, as they're the hometown newspapers in an area teeming with sailors. Many sailors relocate from around the world to Marin and the Tiburon Peninsula in order to live in proximity to the world's best sailing. Alan Cahill moved from Cork, Ireland to race sailboats professionally in the Bay Area and the Pacific Ocean. He was the best man in our wedding and will be dearly missed while I journey this planet. This letter does not contain every detail, but my account should provide a basic understanding of our day on the water and what happened after the first wave hit our boat. It is meant both to illustrate how things can look normal until one event changes everything and to begin to address what we can learn. It's my hope and intention that it will spark a wider dialogue within the sailing community about safety standards and, more importantly, safety practices. Why do we sail? A sailor's mind set is no different from that of any other athlete who chooses to participate in a sport that has some risk. It's a healthy addiction. Despite the highly publicized deaths of Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy, skiers all over the world continue to hit the slopes each winter. Sitting on the couch is safer than ripping down a slope, but the reward makes the risk worthwhile. Next, we should all agree there are a wide variety of interests within the sailing community. Some sailors prefer racing to cruising, small boats to big, or lakes to oceans. We all make personal decisions about the risks we're willing to take to enjoy our own brand of sailing. Naturally, I have personal preferences. I most enjoy one-design and ocean racing. I generally consider sailing to be at its finest when you're coming around a mark alongside 20 identical boats, or when you're in the ocean with a kite up on a windy day, the wave action is perfect and you're surfing downwind at speeds usually reserved for powerboats. I was a guest crew member on Low Speed Chase and I got the sense the others were seeking the same downhill ride back from the Farallones as I was. There were eight sailors on board: one professional, six experienced sailors and one sailor excited for his first ocean race. The Start Line It's Saturday April 14, 2012 around 8:30 in the morning. Seven of us are aboard Low Speed Chase as we leave the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere. We head across the bay and swing through the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, where Jay hops on from the docks. We motor to the St. Francis race deck start line. Alan grabs the handheld and with the brevity learned from years of flying small planes says, in a heavy Irish accent, "Farallon Race Committee, Sydney 38 Low Speed Chase 38009. Checking in. 8 souls on board." No response. He repeats and the voice on the receiver sounds back, "Confirmed, Low Speed Chase. Thank you." We raise our sails as we traverse the starting area, checking currents and winds and working out a starting strategy. Meanwhile, the crew double-checks sails, lines, safety equipment, and clothing layers. Today our starting strategy, unlike buoy racing in the bay, is simple: avoid an over-early penalty. This is especially true given the light winds and ebb tide. A few minutes before the start, someone notices that the reef line for the main isn't tied. Our new Quantum sails were delivered only a couple of days before. They still have that stiff new-sail feel that never lasts long enough. It's going to be a windy day and we need to rig it before we get out in the ocean. I have a harness in my sail bag but Nick is already wearing his. He clips into a halyard and 5 feet up he goes to tie on the line. Alexis grabs his foot to guide him down the boom, and after a few minutes we are ready to get underway. "Boom!" First Gun We are well behind the start line but as the countdown continues we realize our distraction has taken us slightly outside the starting box. The air is still and we're trying to trim our sails to squeeze everything we can from one knot of wind. The start gun goes off and we're still fighting to get inside the box. Ebb is not our friend today and we soon find that we've drifted past the start line without going through the designated gate, so we'll have to backtrack for a proper start. The pressure seems to be hiding just under the Golden Gate Bridge, almost like it's mocking us. It kind of reminds me of Friday night races in Belvedere Cove when the wind shuts down right before the start but continues to tease you from out in the bay. Already critical of our "start", we anxiously wait for the wind to fill so we can make it back to the line. "Should we pop the kite?" gets floated for a second but it's killed when the wind dies to nothing. We're floating backwards toward the bridge and our drift takes us abeam of Anita Rock. We decide to anchor to prevent any more backwards "progress". Jay pulls the anchor from down below and Jordan heaves it into the bay from the bow. Other boats that have started the race now begin to sail - rather, float - past us. A few find humor in our plight and aren't shy to share. Even Berkeley, a regular crew member on Low Speed Chase who couldn't make the race due to an injury texts "nice start…" to Alexis from the shore. Finally, the wind begins to fill in behind us. Dislodging the anchor is another challenge but with a winch, a halyard, and some muscle from Marc, we bring it up it from the bottom of the bay. By the time we make it across the start line our botched start has cost us over an hour. Our objective for the race has changed now, and the only victory we're hoping for is to avoid the notorious DFL. The Uphill Slog Non-sailors often ask what it's like to sail in the ocean, and what's the appeal. I usually compare it to back country skiing or mountain biking. The reward is in the descent. You work through the uphill portion in exchange for the downwind ride when your boat flattens, apparent wind drops to a light breeze and, on the right day, your boat skips along as it planes and surfs down the front side of swells. As we sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, Peter Lyons clicks a picture from the shore. We tack a few times and set up a starboard lay-line that we will stay on for the rest of the day as we head out to the Farallon Islands. The skies are clear and we're seeing 20-23 knots. It's always been hard for me to gauge swell height from the water. Each swell has its own personality. To me it seems the seas are 10-12 feet with larger sets around 15 feet. The upwind leg is uneventful and we fill the quiet moments with our usual banter. We tease Elmer about his difficulty emptying his bladder. Jordan snaps at Alan for being Alan. All in all, it's turning out to be a beautiful day on the ocean with conditions as expected. The wind and swells are big but consistent in speed and direction. Nick, Alan, Jordan, Jay and I all take turns on the wheel, maintaining between 7.5 to 8.5 knots of upwind boat-speed. The mood on the boat is relaxed. We chat about which of our three kites will be safest for the ride home. We've accepted our place in the back of the pack now, so there is no need to risk equipment or safety. Our mind set is definitely not aggressive. We peeled to our smallest jib just outside the bridge and there's no need to reef the main since we aren't being overpowered. We set up earlier in the day for a port rounding or "taking it from the top" as I'd heard it referenced amongst sailing buddies. I've done a number of day-long ocean races to Monterey, Half Moon Bay and buoys like the lightbucket. This is my first race to the Farallones - a race that I've wanted to do for years. My anticipation heightens as our boat approaches the islands. Around the Island The Farallon Islands have a rugged, haunting beauty about them but there's no time for sightseeing as we approach. The waves and wind have steadily built and we start seeing scattered white caps. As the conditions intensify, I'm on the main and Alan - by far the best driver with the most ocean experience - is on the wheel. We soon approach the first rocky point on the northeast corner of the island. The swells are much larger and the wind has been building. We saw another boat pass a few minutes earlier on an outside line. Behind us, one boat is outside of us and another appears to be on our same line. There's a YouTube video titled "Crewed Farallones April 14, 2012" showing the Santa Cruz 50, Deception, and several other boats rounding the island. They would have rounded about an hour before us in similar, if not slightly lighter, conditions. The video shows the difference in swell sizes before, during and after rounding the island. Michael Moradzadeh, who thankfully radioed in the initial distress call, notes that the video doesn't do justice to the intensity of the day. I agree, but it does provide a good baseline for those who didn't make the race. As I watch the video, Deception's route feels eerily similar to our own. In fact, when we passed the first point I think we were just slightly outside of their line. The South Farallones consist of two primary islands, which together form a crescent with its arms toward the north. Between the two northern points we begin to crack off the sails into a close reach as we head toward the next point. The boat in the "Crewed Farallones" video had about the same amount of sail trim but it appears they turned after we did. Our route takes us inside the line of Deception and closer to the island. Fellow sailors can relate to trimming sails during intense racing or weather conditions. We assimilate data in a series of snapshots taken from within the boat and across the race course. I suspect that's the reason sailors show up to race protest rooms with 5 different accounts of an incident that happened at a speed no faster than a run. I've been asked by investigators, friends and family just how close we were to the rocky coastline. Truthfully, this is one of the most difficult questions to answer; my focus was almost purely on the distance to the beginning of the break zone. Staying away from the rocks was a secondary concern to staying away from the breakers - an ocean feature that has scared me since long before this weekend. Swells are fine. Breakers aren't. As we approach the second point I estimate we're inside of 10 boat lengths - which is 128 yards on a Sydney 38 - from the beginning of the break zone. Our distance looks safe and no one on the boat comments. I catch a glance of clear swells off the port side of the boat between the break zone and us. We keep sailing. The boat is heeled toward the island. Alan is driving, I'm trimming main, and everyone else is on the rail. Then, we come across the largest swell we've seen all day. It begins to crest but we pass over it before it breaks. Thirty seconds later, we will not have such luck. The Wave I see another wave approaching in the distance. It's coming from the same direction as the other swells but it's massive. I've seen large waves before but this is unlike anything I've ever seen outside of big-wave surf videos. As the wave approaches it begins to face up, its front flattening as it crests. By the time our boat meets it, there's no escape route. Alan steers the boat into the wave and the bow of Low Speed Chase ascends the breaking wave, which seconds sooner would have been a giant swell and seconds later would have already broken. Instead, we're heading into a crashing wall of water with 9-10 knots of boat-speed and it breaks directly on us. I lock my right arm to the bottom lifeline and brace for the impact. The last thing I see is the boat tipping toward vertical with a band of water still above it. A single thought races through my head: "This is going to be bad." After the Impact I was underwater until the boat righted itself. Confused and disoriented I looked around while water cleared off the deck. Nick and I were the only ones still on the boat. The sails were shredded, the mast snapped and every flotation device had been ripped off. We immediately began to try pulling our crewmembers back into the boat but a second wave hit us from behind. This one ripped me off the boat and into the break zone. Nick barely managed to stay aboard as the boat was tossed by the breakers onto the rocks. I couldn't tell if I was in the water for a minute or an hour, but according to Nick it was about 15 minutes. People have asked me if I swam for shore. The best way to describe the water in the break zone is a washing machine filled with boulders. You don't really swim. The water took me where it wanted to take me, and when I was finally able to climb from the surf onto low rocks I heard Nick shouting from the distance for me to get to higher ground. Together we located Jay further down the shoreline. He was out of the surf but trapped on a rock surrounded by cliffs. From what we could see, nobody else had been able to climb to safety. As for what happened in that first wave, my head was down and I initially thought we might have pitch-poled. Nick, who broke his leg while it was wrapped around a stanchion and had a better view, tells me the boat surfed backwards with the wave for a stretch then rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise before the wave finally barrel rolled it. This seems logical and explains how we ended up pointed back the same direction we started. The US Coast Guard and Air National Guard performed the rescue operation with a level of professionalism that reinforces their sterling reputation for assistance during these types of emergencies. We're incredibly fortunate to have these resources available in our country. If we had been in another ocean off another coast then Jay, Nick and I may not have been rescued. Correcting the News There have been various inaccuracies in the news of what happened that Saturday. I believe they stem mostly from misinterpreted information. For example, many sources reported that we attempted to turn the boat around to help other crew members after the first wave hit. This is not accurate. I believe our statement immediately upon being rescued that, "we turned around [while on the boat] to get people out of the water" somehow became "we turned the boat around to get people out of the water". Additionally, some assumed Jay, the boat's owner, was driving. While one person can be the owner, captain, skipper and driver, this is often not the case. Jay loves sailing but uses professionals like Alan to coordinate his sailing program. This had always been the case with Low Speed Chase and it was no different this day. Reflections The sailing community might want to know what we could have done differently that day. It all really centers on a broader commitment to safety - preparation that happens before you get on the boat to race. When sailors "talk sailing" it's usually about winds, currents, tactics, rules or the events of the day - not about safety. I almost never hear conversations about the benefits of different life jacket models, pros and cons of tethers or about practicing man-overboard drills before a race. That day we had all the mandatory safety equipment including two installed jack lines. Everyone was wearing life jackets and there were 8 tethers on the boat - mine around my neck. Unfortunately, none of us were clipped in when the wave hit. I can't speak for other ocean sailors, but I'd reached a level of comfort where I'd only tether at night, when using the head off the back of the boat, or when the conditions were really wild. It's simply a bad habit that formed due to a false sense of security in the ocean. "Besides," I'd say to myself, "I can just clip in when something bad is about to happen…" It's obvious to me now that I should have been clipped into the boat at every possible opportunity. Nevertheless, arguments for mobility and racing effectiveness over safety are not lost on me. Some safety measures can indeed limit maneuvers, but if you're going to spend an hour driving, trimming or hiking in the same spot, why not clip in? Additionally, there are legitimate concerns about being crushed by the boat. Those 15 minutes in the water were the absolute scariest in my life. The boat was the place to be - inside or out. Until the accident, I believed that to tether or not was a personal choice. But now, my thinking extends beyond the safety of an individual to that of the team as a whole. Here's the logic: If I'd been tethered when the first wave hit, I would have needed to unclip to help the others who were overboard, then I'd have been hit by the second wave and still ended up in the water. Crews need to talk as a team about tethering strategies. One person overboard puts the entire crew at risk, as others might need to unclip to quickly maneuver the boat back to their location. I truly consider myself lucky to have a second chance at life with my wife and 8-week-old son. Looking back, there were a number of factors that might have helped me survive in those waters. After years on the foredeck, I wear shin guards, ankle pads, neoprene kneepads, full-finger gloves, Dubarry boots, full foul-weather gear and no cotton fabrics. I also wear my auto inflate personal floatation device (PFD) for ocean races. Additionally, the well used gym membership my wife got me early last year was invaluable. Luck was truly on my side but I also think that maybe I left the door open for it. There are other lessons that can and should be learned from the incident. My auto-inflate suspenders inflated as designed. However, my manual override cord was tucked away and unreachable - a practice amongst sailors who are worried about an accidental opening. A PFD with a crotch strap would have been far better. It would have held the device down and freed up my hands to climb out of the water or swim. My built-in PFD harness was also too loose and I was concerned about it slipping off. A rash guard would have been a worthwhile layer for warmth. All flotation devices attached to the back of the boat were ripped off by the first large wave. And it's important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each PFD and make sure it matches the conditions. Safety lessons shouldn't have to be learned the hard way. Hopefully this incident will spur a wider discussion on sailboat safety. However, the biggest lesson I learned that day wasn't about any piece of equipment. It was about taking personal responsibility for my own safety. Our EPIRB, a water-activated GPS tracking device, fortunately went off as intended, but who double-checked the batteries that morning? It wasn't me and I didn't ask who did. It's my wish that no crew or community will ever go through what we've endured from this tragic accident. The memorial flotilla on Saturday for my lost crewmates was by far the most touching memorial I've ever seen. I watched from the SFYC host boat as over a hundred sailboats and powerboats, many filled to capacity, came together on the water in a display of something beautiful and heartwarming in the midst of a week filled with terrible pain and sorrow. At a service this weekend, I heard a quote from a 1962 speech by John F. Kennedy to America's Cup competitors that, in my mind, captures the essence of our fascination with the sea: "I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came." Alan, Marc, Jordan, Alexis and Elmer. Keep your rig tuned, your kite full and your foulies dry. We'll one day finish our race together. Bryan Chong Saturday Crew on Sydney 38 Low Speed Chase 04/24/12

Thanks for posting. Whoa.... I have no idea. It is hard to imagine going through this. My deepest condolences to the families and friends. Chong's accounts his experience reinforces my recent training in Safety at sea. What they taught me in class has merit. It is up to us to use every time we are on board.

Wow...what a read. I am glad we no longer have to speculate. One big wave...that broke the mast and rolled the boat. Second wave put it on the rocks.

NewportNewbie said: Wow.. One big wave...that broke the mast and rolled the boat. Second wave put it on the rocks. Click to expand...

that took courage. May it help others be safe in the future.

That is one very powerful account. As I read through it I came away with a sense that Bryan was being honest and open, and that these were very good sailors who had gotten caught in the wrong place at the wrong moment. I have to admire Bryan for his courage, sensitivity, and humanity which were all so evident in his words. Jeff

Such a needless tragedy. This harrowing tale makes it all the more disturbing. I wonder if they were hit with a "rogue" wave? As I related in another thread here, a charter captain I used to know was hit with one on a relatively calm day, offshore about 20 miles out of Fire Island Inlet. On the bridge, he turned to see a breaking wall of water which engulfed his boat, tore off all the canvas, including the bridge bimini , and removed anything that was not firmly attached. Then it was gone. Luckily, he and a friend were the only ones on the boat, both on the bridge which shielded them. I don't know how he avoided being rolled (I think it was a 45' Egg) but he must have been quartering the wave as it hit. This was in the 1970s but I can remember him describing it with amazement.

The Latitude 38 page with Bryan Chong's letter includes the video to which he refers. He mentions that the track taken by the boat in the video was very close to that of Low Speed Chase , but that conditions were slightly less intense than LSC's rounding. I don't want to "arm-chair quarter-back" this incident, and I fully realize that hindsight is always clearer. However, frankly, I think the boats in the vid were WAYY too close for the conditions. If one looks carefully at the height and wavelength of those seas, it looks pretty obvious that they were transitioning from "swell" to "surf" as the water was getting shallower. I think I would have been at least several hundred yards to seaward. Then again, I don't race, and I've been known to err way to the side of caution (OK, I'm a wimp sometimes, particularly when sailing). I'll also add that for Bryan Chong to write and publish his account like this took a LOT of guts. I know that it must not have been easy to relive such an experience, particularly in such detail. Whether being tethered would have helped everyone in this particular instance, I don't know. But maybe Bryan's letter, as well as all the other discussion of Low Speed Chase's fate, will get us ALL thinking a bit more about safety.

SlowButSteady said: I don't want to "arm-chair quarter-back" this incident, and I fully realize that hindsight is always clearer. However, frankly, I think the boats in the vid were WAYY too close for the conditions. If one looks carefully at the height and wavelength of those seas, it looks pretty obvious that they were transitioning from "swell" to "surf" as the water was getting shallower. I think I would have been at least several hundred yards to seaward. Then again, I don't race, and I've been known to err way to the side of caution (OK, I'm a wimp sometimes, particularly when sailing). Click to expand...

I for one will be adding jack lines soon.

Thank you for posting

An honest account of a sailing tradgedy that, before it struck, looked a lot like many days I have sailed. RIP to the sailors lost. As time goes by I'm beginning to feel more and more strongly about carrying my own MOB safety equipment (including a waterproof VHF) on my sailing harness . I seriously doubt that the 5 souls lost were dead when they hit the water. More likely they drowned for lack of ablity to be found. A VHF would have allowed a MOB to steer the helocopter or other boats to them, and a dye marker would have helped immensely as well. For night use a strobe is apparently impossible to miss with night vision. MedSailor

MedSailor said: I seriously doubt that the 5 souls lost were dead when they hit the water. More likely they drowned for lack of ablity to be found. Click to expand...

The boat surfed backward and then was turned beam and rolled....This must have been at least a 18-20 foot wave by the sound of it...Heading out to a place where big swells are known to break as they come upon a world-class upwelling zone that's compared to the Galapagos...well...I am frankly amazed this race had such a good history of safety prior to this....It may have been a "rogue wave" but on "monday morning", at least, this would certainly seem like the place to "expect" one...condolences to the families...hope this brave and eloquent post by Mr. Chong and discussion of this tragedy serves to educate and save a life... somewhere... sometime...

souljour2000 said: The boat surfed backward and then was turned beam and rolled....This must have been at least a 15-18 foot wave by the sound of it...headin out to a place where big swells are known to break when they hit a world-class upwelling zone that's compared to the Galapagos...I am frankly amazed this race had such a good history of safety prior to this.... may have been a "rogue wave" but this would seem like the place to expect one ...condolences to the families...hope this brave and eloquent post by Mr. Chong and discussion of this tragedy serves to educate and save a life... somewhere... sometime... Click to expand...

As we approach the second point I estimate we're inside of 10 boat lengths - which is 128 yards on a Sydney 38 - from the beginning of the break zone. Click to expand...

Having been tossed around in whitewater like a rag doll on more than one occasion, in a fraction of the volume of water in pounding surf crashing on rocks, I agree with Smackdaddy: stay on the boat. This may be the most important lesson from the tragedy. Makes one wonder what happened to the blow-up vests!

Well; I must say Thank You to Bryan Chong for coming forward so soon after this tragedy to explain the events while it is fresh in his mind. Many people would be too stricken with grief or post traumatic stress to come forward and write such a well composed account of the situation and the events that led to such loss of life. Again, Thank You for your well written letter. I have a feeling that this tragedy was some time in the making; that the decision to sail in closer to the surf line was due to an erosion of the fear about staying further out over the many years of successful roundings during prior events. IIRC the Farallones race is over 80 years old. It seems obvious that Alan Cahill, the skipper of LSC, did not think he was doing anything wrong; nor did the other skippers who successfully made a rounding on the same layline in similar conditions. The problem with feeling secure outside of a break line is false because when a big set comes the break location moves further offshore. Surfers have long known that bigger waves come in sets and they wait patiently on days when the swell is mild for them to come in. The same thing happens on days when there is significant swell; only the sets are monsters, not just above average. These are not rogue waves. They are sets of larger waves within large average wave seas. It is not uncommon for the large set waves to be twice the size of an average size wave. When you add to that the effect of shallow water you can end up with a 30' breaker within seas that are an average height of 12'. On the issue of survivability; going in the water in front of a 30' breaker (visualize Mavericks here) gives little chance of survival. The wave broke over a shallow area (4-5 fathoms) which was more shallow due to the wave pulling water away from the ground. With a wave that large crashing down; you would be smashed down against the sea floor and either knocked unconscious, wedged in against rocks, or blacked out and drowned due to loss of oxygen. I suspect that the only thing that saved Bryan's life was his auto-inflate PFD, and lots of luck. While I agree with Byian's comments about the personal responsibility to clip in and "stay on the boat"; I suspect that tethering might not have saved everyone in this situation. The forces imposed in a breaking wave (and rolling boat) can be too great to prevent failure of harness D-Rings, Tethers, and Jacklines (which would have had more than one person attached). The root cause and ensuing loss of life was sailing too close to the break line. There is a corollary to "dont fall overboard"; it's "don't get close to a lee shore". Hopefully this lesson will be learned and maybe some changes to the race will be made to prevent racing sailors from 'cutting it too close'. My wife and I would like to give our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the survivors who will always remember their friends who were lost.

Agreed. Staying far off a lee shore should be plain common sense, rogue wave or not. From the looks of the boat, staying attached may have saved some of those missing if they were not crushed or held under too long. My question is, where are the lifejackets? If they were wearing them, and I assume they probably were, it can only be surmised that they punctured, whether still attached to people or stripped away by water. If still inflated, they surely would have been spotted, either on or off. Solid jackets take a hell of a beating and bring you to the surface eventually, even when held under for a long time. They do feel like they are being pulled off when being tossed around but they do stay on. I have always questioned the wisdom of trusting anyone's life to a fragile bag of air. There are just too many sharp or hot things that can render these useless. Inflatables are more comfortable and allow better movement but are they really safe when the going gets rough? Did they actually activate? Plenty of questions still need to come to light.

Great comments....I agree with Keel-haulin that in the past their may have been due respect for the surf-zone at the Farallons...but it may have been a gradual erosion that was passed down over time as their had never been an incident or very few in a long while...kinda like the most car accidents happen a mile from home thing maybe...we all have a potential killer in our backyard like this...depending on what you are doing on the water..and the killers name may be "Familiarity" ...

Here is another video of the helo bringing LSC in: I think I saw AdamL talking about the free-spinning wheel. You can clearly see here that the rudder is crushed and wheel is spinning. I think it's safe to assume though...judging by Bryan's account...that the major breakages occurred after everyone was in the water. It is amazing though how little damage there is to the port side.

smackdaddy said: I think I saw AdamL talking about the free-spinning wheel. You can clearly see here that the rudder is crushed and wheel is spinning. I think it's safe to assume though...judging by Bryan's account...that the major breakages occurred after everyone was in the water. Click to expand...

Smack- I'm not trolling for an argument. Just wanted to add a little more perspective. I don't disagree that in racing accidents can happen resulting in injury or even death; but in the case of comparing this to a NASCAR event or other racing sport, can you recall a recent event where 5 people in race cars were killed because someone cut a corner too tight or took too big of a risk? The only thing I can think of was the Reno Air Race; which were mostly spectators and the accident was also preventable (don't put the stands so close to the race course). The reason injury or death in racing cars are so few today is because of the continuous development of safety equipment and engineering of the protective cages in the race cars. I don't see a problem with using a technology like GPS to improve racecourse safety in events which require sailors to take ever increasing risk to shave time off of their ET to win.

KeelHaulin said: Smack- The reason injury or death in racing cars are so few today is because of the continuous development of safety equipment and engineering of the protective cages in the race cars. Click to expand...

"Agreed. Staying far off a lee shore should be plain common sense," But that is not racing . Racing routinely means rock-hopping. Means figuring how far you can push the most favorable tack. Means putting up ever so slightly less than too much canvas, and as the saying goes "if you didn't break anything, it was all too heavy and you weren't really racing." As your insurers might say, racing is inherently dangerous and that's why many of htem won't cover a boat racing.

Sailboat racing is a slow speed game - it doesn't have to be any more inherently dangerous than any form of going to sea is. Also, after you crash your boat, you don't get to walk back to the pits. Your comments sound like an echo of Grand Prix racing prior to Jackie Stewart - any thought of driver safety was regarded as unmanly. Pure nonsense. Risking blown sails, wild broaches, even dismasting is not the same as risking going on the rocks in big surf - as we have just seen.

Wow, that sucks. Skydiving rigs are made from type 13 webbing harness with a tensile strength 7000lbs. Heard lots of stories of openings hard enough to tear aortas and break femurs, but in 10 years I've never heard of a harness failure with that. The webbing harness costs less than $3 a yard. :/

I have a feeling that bio-mechanics were considered in the design of these safety harnesses. At some point the strength of the harness will exceed the strength of your back and upper body; so if it does not give way one would be severely injured (paralyzed) or even killed by the amount of force on the user. That's a design limitation that can't be eliminated so the maximum design loads that the vest is designed to withstand are lower than what would certainly result in death of the user.

Another thing to consider about these load ratings is that such numbers are for brand new, "perfect", pieces of equipment. As soon as such a bit of gear starts getting used it becomes worn, damaged, et cetera (however minutely; face it, a tether isn't going to get stronger with use). This is a large part of the reasoning behind such seemingly large safety factors. In other words, we want the gear to work when it's needed; not just right out of the box, but also maybe a year or two down the road. As such, a harness or tether may be rated (when new) at two or three ( or more) times the necessary strength so that it will be strong enough when it actually gets "tested" in the field. In principal, it may not make sense to have a harness that is able to resist faces likely to kill the wearer. But, in practice, such an increased safety margin does in fact serve a purpose.

I would like to echo Jeff H remarks and thank Bryon for having the courage to post, His heartfelt feelings and honesty were apparent. I am not sure if I would have the ability to be so circumsopect about such an event and have the ability to gather my emotions to write such an accurate descriptive account. My heart goers out to the sailors who perished doing what the loved and their families who they left behind...alone without them ever again. There are times when despite my fourty years of sailing, ocean passages, amateur racing I know this is the place and time to just shut up. To those of you so called experts, Monday morning quarterbacks, naysayers and sailing icons in your own minds who want to comment and pass judgement on this incident have some decency to the dead...start another post. Let this posting remain for those who want to comment to Bryan and offer condolences and god speed. Newport...thank you for posting. To the crew of the Low Spped Chase...god bless you all for chasing your dream. Those of you who did not return may you have fair winds and following seas. For those who survived, always keep your commraides in your heart and mind. You did nothing wrong and deserve to be here. Dave

chef2sail said: To those of you so called experts, Monday morning quarterbacks, naysayers and sailing icons in your own minds who want to comment and pass judgement on this incident have some decency to the dead...start another post. Let this posting remain for those who want to comment to Bryan and offer condolences and god speed. Click to expand...

Safety lessons shouldn't have to be learned the hard way. Hopefully this incident will spur a wider discussion on sailboat safety. Click to expand...

"Sailboat racing is a slow speed game - it doesn't have to be any more inherently dangerous than any form of going to sea is." No, Jon, I have to disagree. If you are racing , as opposed to just putzing around the beercans having some fun, it is inherently more dangerous. Examples? A 3-day race was predicted with 5mph winds and gorgeous wx to start, but overnight because 4-8 seas and 40 knots. Half the fleet chose not to start, the rest of us went out in wx we never would have pleasure sailed in. Oh, and two of the three newscopters covering the start, stayed grounded instead. Copter#3 had such a rough ride, they didn't get any video coverage at all. That's racing. You go out when it will be hard work and the safety factors are way thinner. Or, the casual everyday race on a Saturday afternoon. Can we cross ahead of that tug? If we can clear it by fifty yards, go, let the rest of the fleet fall behind it. Casual sailing? Hell no, you give him a quarter mile of clear intents. Crossing another boat? Racing? "Sufficient room" means you can drop a playing card between the boats and it will fall through. You'd never call that adequate safety unless you were racing and among other racers who expected the same. Are your fuel tanks full? Not if you're racing. Fuel is heavy, it slows you down, you figure out how much you'll need, figure a thin safety margin, and don't carry a pint more. Got an extra set of clean dry clothes aboard? In case someone gets wet and goes hypothermic? Maybe not, if you're racing, because those extras slow you down. And if you say, well, you don't HAVE TO cut those safety margins to be racing? Yeah, you do. Heavy is slow and slow is just putzing around. Which may be plenty of fun--but it ain't racing. Me? No, I'm not a racer. I have raced, I find the volume usually is too loud, the TypeA's with big bucks for the serious titanium hardware and new sails every week are a joy to behold. Even better from a distance. I'll putz around the beercans once in a while if a friend needs crew, but racing is indeed a deadly serious game. You think any of those boats would have been so close to a rocky lee shore if they hadn't been taking the shortest course? If they hadn't been racing ? That's how the game is played, and unlike video games, the ones in the real world sometimes bite back. Getting out of bed in the morning can be dangerous too. Ever had to check your boots to make sure there were no scorpions in them, before you could walk over ot the loo? But racers know the risks, or should know the risks, and that's a choice to be made with freedom. If you want to play something safe, try golf. Wear a helmet, and don't play through lightning. Even with that and the occasional gopher hole or snake in the grass, that's inherently much safer than racing. Of any kind.

I'm a fan of all sorts of mechanized racing and I know exactly what you are saying but there's a difference between competitiveness and plain old irresponsibility and poor seamanship - the ocean don't know yer racin'. Your comment about the tug falls under the "completely irresponsible" category - how the hell does the tug skipper know what you are doing? You're just another incompetent Sunday afternoon jerk to him. There was a vid posted recently of a racer getting run down by a freighter in the Solent that was exactly that situation. AFAIAC they (the sailboat) should have suffered criminal sanctions - it was a miracle no-one was killed. I've heard the same "but they were racing" in reference to the carnage the round the world racers suffer in the Southern Ocean - they're mighty quick to call the Aussie navy when their "racing margins" don't quite make it and their keel falls off or their rig comes down - Isabelle Autissier did it TWICE - expecting them to risk THEIR lives & equipment to save her a$$ when those "playing card" margins weren't quite good enough. Simply unacceptable.

hellosailor;863290 You think any of those boats would have been so close to a rocky lee shore if they hadn't been taking the shortest course? If they hadn't been [I said: racing[/I]? That's how the game is played, and unlike video games, the ones in the real world sometimes bite back. Click to expand...

With great respect for the crew of LSC, and for the grace of Bryon, it may be appropriate to remember the words of Patton who wanted to die by the last bullet of the last battle of the last war. May God bless them all.

Just by the by, what exactly is "The Potato Patch"? I've seen references to it before but they always assumed the reader knew what it was.

Think about it...Havent you seen any of the pictures of this place...? It's the Farallons... ..just a nickname...

Chef, chill out. Read this part of Bryan's letter again-Smackdaddy Click to expand...

I've chosen to use Sailing Anarchy for distributing this story because they're of a kindred spirit and were the favorites amongst the crew of Low Speed Chase and those who already know the answer to the question, "Why would you sail in the ocean on a windy day with big swells?" Bryan Chong Click to expand...

chef2sail said: I read perfectly well, just dont type that well. Dont tell me to chill out I am not you child. Maybe you didnt see this part in your haste to make a condescending comment sitting on your throne. He was not making that comment on Sailnet...he made it on SA because he felt they are of a kindred spirit. Comments like yours to others is a perfect example of maybe why. Mr Chong did not post it here so maybe you are reading into his intentions a bit. I stand by my opinions as stated. We all have them and dont need you telling us or determining who should post and who should chill out. I beleive that all the SECONDGUESSERS should do this in another post. I may be in a minority but it is what I beleive. Smackdaddy if you search for Sailing Anarchy and find it and read the forums on this subject you will notice that there are TWO distinct forums on the subject. The one has the letter which Newport so kindly posted here. Almost all of the 6 pages of the SA Forum were filled with condolances and notes of gratitude to Bryan and the survivors as well as their families. There is distinctly a second forum for the people who want to LEARN from the tragedy where all can second guess etc. Thats what I was saying here, thats all. Maybe you need to finally go to the optometrist and have the other lens of your glasses repaired so you can finally see clearly all around you. Thank you again newport for posting his comments here so those of us who care could read it. God bless the poor deceased men and women whose lives were tragically ended. Click to expand...

Being a racer and most likely the only person on this thread who has actually raced to the Farallones (both crewed and DH) I came away with an entirely different perspective of Bryan’s testimony than you non-racers and tyros. You need to re-read it carefully before you jump to any conclusion. First, they were an hour (or more) late at the start. At that point all they were doing was sailing the course cleanly and hoping that another boat had a major screw up. Having done this race in PHRO-1 boats before, I can tell you no amount of shaving close to shore is going to make up this kind of time deficit. Second, Bryan described LSC’s line to be outside of Deception’s, another PHRO-1 boat. The depth there is probably in the neighborhood of 100 feet or more. He also described them being 128 yards outside the break zone. Read that the start of the breaking waves and not where they terminate on the shore. Considering the hydrology of the islands, the initial waves are probably breaking in 30 feet of water. And at 11 second wave periods, there was probably 3, 4 or more wave sets between LSC and the break. This might be too close for some of us reading this thread, but remember, the skill set of those mariners and the design and build of LSC is way above the norm. Yachtsmen that race OYRA and especially PHRO-1 are at or near the pinnacle of the already talented pool of Northern California sailors. I know that it is hard to comprehend, but sometimes-bad things happen to good people. Had they been a further hundred yards out to sea when they got rolled, I afraid that the results most likely would have been the same. The lessons for me is to redouble my safety program on Freya. I know that I cannot make sailing in the Gulf of the Farallones risk free, but I can certainly work to improve my odds once an event happens. For example, I’m rethinking my vest. I too, stuff the manual release tab inside the vest and do not always wear the crotch strap. I think that I’m good about clipping in, but my wife has made the comment in most of the photos of me racing, my tether is not to be seen. I know that there is a possibility of drowning with a tether, but I'm thinking that I will take my chances with the boat and will insist that my crewmates do the same. I am good about carrying a waterproof radio in my pocket, but my EPIRB is mounted inside the cabin. I’m thinking about the hydrostatic release now. A little geography lesson. The Farallones are on the edge of the continental shelf and are the result of plate tectonics moving a little bit of Southern California our way. The waters surrounding the islands are on the order of 100 feet or more and less than two miles to the west, the continental shelf abruptly drops a few thousand feet to the abyssal sea floor. This sudden drop off is one of the sources of the chaotic wave conditions on the islands and how a rogue can sneak in. Just to the north is middle Farallone which experiences the same type of waves but is much more dangerous IMHO as they consist of a grouping of submerged or barely visible wash rocks. Because of this, rounding South Farallone wide has its problems too as you will now have to worry about being too close to Middle Farallone. The “Potato Patch” is a shoal directly to the north of the entrance to the Golden Gate. It earned its name when a 19th century coastal schooner lost its cargo on the shoal. The coves that dot the Marin headlands are all named after ships that wrecked there. There is an equally (if not more) treacherous shoal to the south. Both shoals rise to less than 30 feet and frequently experience breaking seas. Practically all the fatalities for both cruisers and racers alike have happened on or near these shoals.

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Pine Bluff Police chase golf cart through streets in "low speed pursuit"

by Thomas Farrar

PINE BLUFF (KATV) — The Pine Bluff Police Department has released a video of what they are calling a "low speed golf cart pursuit."

The video, which was released on Thursday night, shows police officers chasing a golf cart through a parking lot and back out into the street.

Towards the end of the video, a man police identified as a hospital worker jumps into the back of the golf cart and manages to stop the vehicle.

"PS, we have another hero to highlight," Pine Bluff Police say in their post.

In an official report, police say they responded to calls reporting a stolen golf cart at the 1600 block of W. 40th St. just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sep. 11.

Police say that the suspect, Zachary Hartley, stole the golf cart from the parking lot of the Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Hartley was followed by hospital employees.

In the report, police say that they located the cart traveling westbound on 28th Avenue near Hazel St.

After a short-lived pursuit, police say that a hospital worker who had been following the stolen cart jumped into the back of the vehicle and was able to stop Hartley by the cart off.

The pursuit ended at 28th and Holly St.

Police say that hospital security pulled Hartley from the vehicle and that he was later transported to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries sustained to his head during the chase.

After Hartley was treated, he was transported to the Dub Brassell Detention Center, where he was charged with felony theft of property and fleeing.

Police says that before the incident, Hartley had left the hospital after refusing treatment in the emergency room. Hospital staff reported that he had been tased by hospital security for aggressive behavior, including attempting to strike staff members.

Police also say that Hartley appeared to be under to influence of substances during the incident.

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Low Speed Chase
low speed chase
New 36m Chase Boat Phi Phantom Delivered by Alia Yachts
New 36m Chase Boat Phi Phantom Delivered by Alia Yachts
Sailing fans reel over yacht race death
New 36m Chase Boat Phi Phantom Delivered by Alia Yachts

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What Exactly Happened to the Low Speed Chase?
Some boats turned back. A sailor named R. David Britt, who was ahead of the Low Speed Chase, told the AP he went wide around the islands because of the danger. "The worst thing is to have a wave ...
Farallones accident blamed on crew
The Low Speed Chase lies on its side on the rocks of the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco, on Saturday, April 14, 2012. In the worst yacht racing accident in Northern California in ...
'Low Speed Chase' survivor recounts chilling sailboat wreck near
A survivor from the sailboat Low Speed Chase said his terrifying experience being washed off the 38-foot vessel was like being in a "washing machine with boulders."
Looking Back on Low Speed Chase Tragedy
Looking Back on Low Speed Chase Tragedy. One year after the tragic Low Speed Chase incident during the Full Crew Farallones Race, in which five sailors died, survivor Bryan Chong reflects on that horrific event and the lessons he has taken from it: "There's nothing in life more absolutely devastating than the loss of a loved one. It creates a ...
Full Report on Farallones Race Tragedy
The crew of eight aboard Low Speed Chase encountered larger than average breaking waves when rounding Maintop Island, the northwest point of Southeast Farallon Island.These waves capsized the vessel, a Sydney 38, and drove it onto the rocky shore. Seven of the eight crew members were thrown from the boat into the water.
Anatomy of a Farallon Islands yachting tragedy
The Low Speed Chase was of Australian design, "a high-end racing boat, fast, a good boat," said Andy Turpin, editor of Latitude 38, the sailing magazine in Sausalito. Boats like this would cost ...
Safety rules could change in wake of race accident
One of the three survivors, Bryan Chong, of Tiburon, Calif., writes in a nearly 4,000-word letter to a "devastated" sailing community that Low Speed Chase was well outside the breaker zone off Maintop, an islet just northwest of Southeast Farallon, when a "massive" wave broke over the boat and rolled it.
San Francisco Club Shaken by Loss of Sailors in Race
The Low Speed Chase lay on its side on the rocks of the Farallon Islands after a crash in which five sailors were killed. A wave struck the yacht during a race around the Farallon Islands, in the ...
Final report on deadly Low Speed Chase sailboat accident released
The 38-foot-yacht "Low Speed Chase" was taking part in a round the Farallones race, when it was struck by a wave in the relatively shallow water or shoal, on the lee or downwind side, of the ...
Lost sailors were adventurous, experienced
Lost sailors were adventurous, experienced. Surrounded by seals and sea lions, the sailing vessel Low Speed Chase lay on its side on the Farallon Islands Monday April 16, 2012. Five people lost ...
Full report on Farallones Race tragedy released
A US Sailing independent review panel has released the report on its investigation of the sailing accident that occurred on April 14, 2012 during the Full Crew Farallones Race out of San Francisco, California. The accident resulted in the deaths of five sailors from the sailboat, Low Speed Chase. The crew of eight aboard Low Speed Chase ...
Rescued Sailor Offers Harrowing Story Of Deadly Farallones Yacht Crash
One of the sailors who survived the crash of a racing yacht earlier this month on the Farallon Islands is talking publicly about what happened aboard the Low Speed Chase. Latest U.S.
Low Speed Chase Victims Mourned
In all, 8 people were aboard a 38-foot sailboat named Low Speed Chase when it was hit by a big wave that knocked several crew members into the ocean. The boat was then hit by more waves that ...
Low Speed Chase: Tragedy on the Farallon Islands
The tragedy of Low Speed Chase has jarred sailors around the world and, much like the Olivia Constants accident and the capsize of Rambler 100, have been haunting reminders of the inherent risks of sailing. The yacht crashed onto one of the Farallon Islands, approximately 27 miles outside of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Pacific Ocean.
LOW SPEED CHASE: Farallones Race Inquiry Published
Note the green line, which is the track of the only other boat to pass inside Low Speed Chase, just 11 minutes after Low Speed Chase capsized. Tracks of various boats in Farallones races from 2009 to 2012, showing how most boats stayed outside the 6-fathom contour. Note the second red track, passing closest to the northwest corner of Maintop ...
Final report on deadly Low Speed Chase sailboat accident released
SAN FRANCISCO . The final report on the April 14th accident confirms the panel's preliminary report. The 38-foot-yacht "Low Speed Chase" was taking part in a round the Farallones race, when it was ...
Crashed racing yacht manned by experienced sailors who knew risk
Eight people were aboard the Low Speed Chase on Saturday when a pair of swells knocked all but one of them into the water near the Farallon Islands and sent the yacht onto rocks.
PDF US Sailing Independent Review Panel Inquiry into the Low Speed Chase
Low Speed Chase sailed a course which took them across a shoal area over which breaking waves could be expected to occur several times per hour (see . Appendix D) and encountered a breaking wave, which capsized the ... Race Boat requirements to Race: The race was governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing, 2009-2012 (RRS),
Farallones Deaths Follow Dangerous Year in Sailing
But around 3 p.m., as conditions worsened, the Low Speed Chase was flung into the rocks while making the turn at the Farallones, and its crew went overboard. Three were rescued by Coast Guard and ...
Low Speed Chase, High Speed Commiseration
Then, as racers were rounding the islands at 2:45 p.m., the Low Speed Chase was slammed by a powerful wave that washed five crewmates over the gunwale near the edge of the main Southeast Farallon ...
Report: Lack of 'prudent seamanship' led to fatal Farallones yacht
Newell, who was captain of a yacht that was about 30 minutes behind the Low Speed Chase, said it would have been difficult to help amid the rough weather conditions and spotty radio communications.
What Happened to Low Speed Chase?
As the premier boat transport company in California, and with over four decades of experience, they knew they could trust SDBM to be discreet, professional and flexible. Low Speed Chase was hooked up to lifting straps and flown by helicopter from the southeast Farrallone island. A special private landing area had been established at Pillar ...
One Dead, Four Missing After Boating Accident Near Farallon Islands
The Coast Guard said in all eight people on a 38-foot sailing vessel called the Low Speed Chase, were participating in the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race that began at the St. Francis Yach Club in ...
Bryan Chong's first hand recount of the Low Speed Chase tragedy
It's Saturday April 14, 2012 around 8:30 in the morning. Seven of us are aboard Low Speed Chase as we leave the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere. We head across the bay and swing through the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, where Jay hops on from the docks. We motor to the St. Francis race deck start line.
Pine Bluff police chase golf cart driver in low-speed pursuit
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — On Thursday, September 12, the Pine Bluff Police Department was involved in an unusual police chase involving a golf cart. The police department posted a video of the pursuit ...
Pine Bluff Police chase golf cart through streets in "low speed ...
The Pine Bluff Police Department has released a video of what they are calling a "low speed golf cart pursuit."The video, which was released on Thursday night,

What Exactly Happened to the Low Speed Chase?

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Looking Back on Low Speed Chase Tragedy

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What Happened to Low Speed Chase?

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Pine Bluff Police chase golf cart through streets in "low speed pursuit"

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