k38bob
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Apr 25, 2012, 2:32 AM
Post #8 of 18
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Re: [The Publisher] Low Speed Chase
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FARALLONES DEATHS FOLLOW DANGEROUS YEAR IN SAILING By Chris Museler, New York Times (April 19, 2012) - The Farallon Islands, 28 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, are known as the Devil's teeth for their sharp, rocky spires that spring from the open ocean. They often see gale force winds and steep, breaking waves that 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 open its first safety investigation. In early summer, a young girl drowned after becoming caught under a capsized dinghy in Annapolis, Md. During the biannual 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. "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." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/NYT041912
BTW, Chris acknowledges the error in this report that 8 sailors perished in the doublehanded race of 1982. 2 boats and crews were lost in the race. 2 additional sailors cruising were also lost. It was a fast , extreme, large storm that went into the evening http://www.nwas.org/...93/Pg2-Duckworth.pdf also Kimball http://blueplanettimes.com/?p=8844 Realize also this was before GPS and submersible VHF. In those days VHF were fixed mount below decks to protect from the elements. Before doppler radar and nearly instantaneous communication. From the Duckworth report "7. Concluding Remarks
Although the April 1982 storm was unusually severe, it
should be noted that the Gulf of the Farallones is a place
where adverse winds and waves are common. It is not a
friendly place for small craft and inexperienced sailors. The
lack of a safe anchorage or harbor of refuge reduced the
sailors to two options. Either they had to get into San Francisco
Bay, or remain at sea overnight. These were both
difficult to do in the storm condition which prevailed.
From a meteorological viewpoint, this storm disaster was
due to:
• the suddenness and severity of its onset;
• the southerly wind direction;
• the exceptionally adverse combination of wind,
weather, current, and wave conditions; and
• the duration of the storm and the advent of darkness
during its intense period.
From a sailing viewpoint, this disaster was due to most
of the same kinds of events that have plagued ocean racing
events for years. These include those alluded to in this article
and described in an admirable report by Forbes et al. (1979).
The Forbes' report was prepared after the 1979 Fastnet Race
(from Cowes, England, to the Fastnet Rock off the south
coast of Ireland and then to Plymouth) ended with a tragic
loss oflife and sailing vessels. The five sections in that report
tell the story. They are entitled: Background, Weather, Ability
of the Yachts and their Equipment to Withstand the
Storm, Ability of Skippers and Crews to Withstand the
Storm, and The Search and Rescue Phase.
The April 1982 storm offered up a serious challenge to all
those involved. The loss of people and vessels was tragic.
The overall experience should remind all that it is serious
business to sail off the northern California coast in stormy
weather. It is concluded that the losses in the April 1982
storm would have been truly more devastating had it not
been for the NWS gale warnings broadcast over the VHF
radio, the successful rescues by the USCG, and the outstanding
examples of survival sailing and rescues by the sailors
exposed.
It is also concluded that the usefulness of the NWS coastal
area marine forecast could be enhanced if the forecast statement
contained more information about the possible occurrence
of extreme wind and wave conditions, and more
emphasis was given to those conditions in the VHF radio
broadcast."
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