SF race tragedy
Bay Area sailors are devestated over the loss of five crew members—one dead and four missing—from the boat Low Speed Chase, which was participating in the Full Crew Farallon Race out of San Francisco. The race took place on Saturday, April 14 with gusty, 25-knot winds and clear skies. Sponsored by the San Francisco Yacht Club, this annual race drew 52 participating boats this year, and this is the first fatal accident in the race’s 105-year history.
From the LA Times:
“A rogue wave pummeled the 38-foot Low Speed Chase as it rounded the islands Saturday, knocking five crew members overboard. As the captain sought to rescue them from the 50-degree water, the boat capsized and was hurled onto the rocks.
The body of Marc Kasanin, 46, a lifelong sailor and artist from Belvedere, Calif., was recovered soon after the accident. Four other sailors are missing and presumed dead. Three survivors, including the yacht’s captain, were rescued by the Coast Guard, which has suspended search operations.”
The other missing sailors are Alexis Busch, 26, of Larkspur, Calif., the daughter of former San Francisco Giants executive Corey Busch and Major League Baseball’s first bat girl (the Giants on Monday announced plans to honor her with a moment of silence); Alan Cahill, an Irish-born master boat craftsman in his 30s from Tiburon, Calif., whom a friend described to the San Francisco Chronicle as “full of life and energy”; and Elmer Morrissey of Ireland, also in his 30s.”
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