mac racing missing at start

[duality]

from the chicago tribune below, mac racer overboard, auto vest did not inflate. competitors stop racing to help!

Officials continue to search Lake Michigan after a boater competing in the Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac went missing in the water on Saturday afternoon.

Around 2:30 p.m., authorities learned that the 35-year-old man had fallen into the turbulent water, said Petty Officer Brian McCrum of the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The missing man had been wearing a self-inflating life vest, McCrum said, though it was believed it did not inflate.

A multi-agency search including Coast Guard and Chicago police and fire crews was still ongoing more than two hours after the initial call came in, said McCrum.

The Chicago Yacht Club, in a Saturday statement, said the Coast Guard informed it that a man had fallen from one of the boats competing in the race around 3 p.m.

“USCG, Chicago Police Department, and Chicago Fire Department have deployed helicopters and other assets to assist in the search,” the statement read. “Several nearby competitors suspended racing to also assist.”

“At the time of the alert, the sailboat’s location was approximately five nautical miles from the (Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac) starting line, just off the Chicago Harbor breakwall.”

Divers and rescue boats are searching between Navy Pier and 31st Street, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Frank Velez.

At a late afternoon press availability at Navy Pier where command staff was set up, Chicago Fire Dept. Deputy District Chief Ron Dornecker said the sun was setting soon, which would make the search more difficult.

Dornecker said they “immediately dispatched’’ a water rescue after getting the call of a person overboard. “We had a helicopter in the air…we had our fast boat and our big boat,’’ Dornecker said.

“Right now we are actively searching,’’ and “a number’’ of civilian boats are assisting, the chief said about 5 p.m.

The conditions are “tough,’’ Dornecker said, adding winds are gusting north about 15 miles an hour and waves are cresting about 6-feet.

The water temperature is about 70 degrees, which Dornecker said was “good “ or “better’’ for the man’s chance of survival.

Dornecker did not know what led up to the incident or if the man was wearing a life preserver.

“Right now we’re fighting light. We’re gonna lose that sunlight soon.’’

 

[rgranger]

Thanks for posting

 

[JohnShannon]

I hope this comes to a safe conclusion. In the mean time a plug
https://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?5080/rescueME+AIS+MOB1+Man+OverBoard+Device

This puts your MOB on every chart plotter within about 2 miles. Improves your odds.

 

[Jumpstart]

Boat was a Transpac 52 (Imedi). Boat was in the Turbo class which was the last start. Crew is male, age 35. Search suspended at dark. Competitors joined search along with CG, Chicago PD, Chicago FD ,and helos. So far no luck and it looks like a sad ending. Sea state was 4-6 footers with 20+ knots of wind at time of mishap.

 

[JohnShannon]

I think this happened one or two Mac races ago, in that case they found the guy but it was close.

 

[cb32863]

Statement this morning that the search has been abandoned.

 

[Dalliance]

Here is latest report I could find this evening.
http://abc7chicago.com/sailor-who-f...ing-race-to-mackinac-remains-missing/3804322/

Imedi sails out of Burnham Harbor. We saw them come in last night. They had been searching for their crew member for at least six hours in rough conditions. I can’t describe the sense of exhaustion and sadness from that boat as they passed by our dock.

Other boats, including Ocean, an 85 footer also from Burnham, withdrew from the race to assist in the search. They came in shortly before Imedi.

 

[rgranger]

Sad and heart breaking

 

[JohnShannon]

That is just awful

 

[Jackdaw]

Sad deal. Its a real puzzlement that his vest did not inflate. Sometimes offshore sailors will disable the auto-inflate feature on non-hydrostatic inflators to prevent them from popping in heavy weather. But you can always manually inflate if you can get at the handle. That can be a trick. Good offshore vests allow easy access to the handle without having to tuck it in to prevent it triggering by a stray pull from a snag. Before we do an offshore event we do a group inspection of inflators AND cylinders, making sure they have not been triggered or poked.

 

[weinie]

don't most have an oral inflate tube too?

 

[Jackdaw]

don't most have an oral inflate tube too?

Yep. But man I would not want to be in 6 foot chop with foulies and boots on, trying to keep my head above water while I use both hands to pull open my vest to find the tube. On a Spinlock Deckvest that would be a real chore.

 

[rgranger]

I have this style vest for my coastal cruising (see pic). I've been seriously considering biting the bullet and buying the inflatable style. My thinking being that if the vest is more comfortable, my crew is less likely to be tempted to take them off. But now I'm thinking that the right approach is simply to be a hard-ass about wearing vests and to stick with a more traditional PDF. Right now the rule on my boat is that if the boat is in motion and you are out of the cabin, the vest must be on.

 

[Parsons]

Sometimes offshore sailors will disable the auto-inflate feature on non-hydrostatic inflators to prevent them from popping in heavy weather.

I used to disable my automatic when there was spray, rain, fog, etc. until it dawned on me that I needed it most in those very conditions. I bit the bullet and bought a hydrostatic (for about $100 more, plus double the cost to refill), and it was the best investment I've made. Just the time savings in unscrewing and re-fitting the automatic activator was worth the trouble. I encourage all of you to throw away the old 'alka selzer' automated PFD and get a HIT to wear.

 

[Jackdaw]

I used to disable my automatic when there was spray, rain, fog, etc. until it dawned on me that I needed it most in those very conditions. I bit the bullet and bought a hydrostatic (for about $100 more, plus double the cost to refill), and it was the best investment I've made. Just the time savings in unscrewing and re-fitting the automatic activator was worth the trouble. I encourage all of you to throw away the old 'alka selzer' automated PFD and get a HIT to wear.

Indeed. I bought Jodi and I the latest WM coastal jacket for everyday use on BlueJ. Got them on sale, and each one cost LESS than re-arming a Deckvest 5D Hammer would cost. Makes more sense for most days on an inland lake. In the fall and on the bigger water we wear the deckvests.

 

[DayDreamer41]

Sad day for all involved the lost soul was a 53 year old who was a triathlon athlete and said to be a very strong swimmer, just goes to show the rest of us no matter how strong we think we are in the water the correct safety equipment is essential. It surprises me that he was not tethered to a jack line.

 

[Jackdaw]

Got a PM asking about the handle to the manual inflator on the DeckVests. You can see it in the picture on the left side of the vest as you look at it. It’s that curved black rubber piece that’s tucked into the tube. It’s held there rather snuggly, and if you want to inflate manually you pull it out of its restrainers, and the string pulls and the deal pops. Unlike the common ‘T’ handles found on most vests, it’s almost impossible for it to get snagged on anything. It’s a nice design. The loop of nylon behind it is actually part of an accessory holder and not the handle.

 

[Tally Ho]

Were there any reports about whether the lost sailor was conscious when he hit the water?

Terrible tragedy.

Greg

 

[DayDreamer41]

Yes the crew through floats out to him but he could not get to them, the conditions rapidly blew the floas away from him.

 

[rgranger]

.... the conditions rapidly blew the floas away from him.

That's a good piece of the post tragedy review data. Even a small flap of a drogue, sewn into the (or tethered to) the float might have made the difference. It has me thinking about my own throwables and how suitable they are (or are not)