Sailboat Capsizes in Vancouver Island race.

[Clyde]

A F-9A Trimaran, S/V Redshift, capsized while participating in the Cadillac Van Isle 360 sailboat race around Vancouver Island, British Columbia Wednesday night at 7:40 pm. The US Coast Guard website stated that the sailboat didn’t have time to broadcast a Mayday on their VHF radio, the sailboat’s 406-megahertz EPIRB with integral GPS was activated and picked up by both the US and Canadian Coast Guard. The EPIRB signal placed the F-9A three nautical miles southwest of Race Rocks in Canadian waters. The US Coast Guard immediately dispatched a HH-65A Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles, along with the US Coast Guard Cutter Osprey, the Canadian Coast Guard dispatched the Cutter Bartlett. The US Coast Guard HH-65A Dolphin helicopter found three crewmembers sitting on the capsized vessel with a fourth trapped inside. The rescue swimmer was lowered from the helicopter into the water to assist the trapped crewmember from the overturned F9A. The cost of a 406 EPIRB with integral GPS signal is about $1,200. If you divide the cost of the EPIRB by four people it comes to $300 per life, not a bad bargain.US Coast Guard website.http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?clientID=047AB3C2-C662-EE39-A7988E8579E85C40&cid=21&fuseaction=EXTERNAL.docview&pressID=17145Cadillac Van Isle 360 race website, F-9A "Redshift".http://www.vanisle360.com/boatprofile/list.php?number=17Fair Winds.Clyde

 

[Trevor]

Similar accident in 2001

I saw the remains of a Corsair tri-maran in Tofino in 2001 after it had capsized off the West Coast of Vancouver Island in 2001 - same race (Van Isle 360)! We were sailing our Catalina 36 around the island (we took over 2 months, so it's safe to say we weren't racing). I know one of the sailors aboard. Apparently the crew spent something like 22 hours on the bottom of the boat waiting for rescue. The boat (2 pontoons remained; the third was loaded in a nearby pickup truck). I spoke with a couple native fishermen who were salvaging the boat - the insurance company wrote it off. The boat's name was 3D. I'll post pictures in the next couple weeks if anyone is interested.Trevor

 

[Clyde]

EPIRB sure makes a difference.

I remember reading about the 2001 capsizing. The Coast Guard was notified only after the F-31 S/V 3-D missed a couple of the regularly scheduled radio check and at the urging of the family. The Van Isle 360 racers where suppose to call in every four hours. A Polish fishing boat picked up the F-31 S/V 3-D crew after they spent about 20 hours in the water; luckily they managed to put on their survival suits. It took the US Coast Guard 13 minutes to response to the F-9A, S/V Redshift, which turned "Turtle" on Wednesday because of the 406 EPIRB with the integral GPS signal. The local Seattle newspaper interviewed the survivors. The article said, ..."They also retrieved a radio and called for help..." I think they were talking about the EPIRB and not a handheld VHF, since the US Coast Guard web site said that they only received the 406 EPIRB with the GPS signal from the capsized F-9A. The Canadian Coast Guard reported that the skies were clear, seas were 6.5 feet; winds were 25 knots with higher gusts. They also mentioned that the current was strong at the time of the capsizing.The crew of the S/V Redshift was in the water for at least 45 minutes before they could activate the EPIRB and the Coast Guard responded in 13 minutes after receiving the EPIRB signal. The crew spent about an hour in water, based on the news article, yet one crewmember still had a mild case of hypothermia. In 2001 the crew of the S/V 3-D had to wait over 20 hours in their survival suits in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest before a manual search found them since no EPIRB signal was sent, makes you wonder what would have happened if the S/V Redshift didn’t have the EPIRB.Seattle news article:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=CAN%20Rescued%20SailorsVictoria news article:http://www.canada.com/victoria/story.asp?id=C3B54DF7-4066-4283-A593-222CF5F8A9ECFair Winds.Clyde