Full story at <http://yachtpals.com/boating/lightship-race>
It's all too easy to forget that yacht racing is an extreme and
hazardous sport, particularly (as in this case) shorthanded, and that
conditions outside San Francisco Bay can be treacherous -- we've lost a
number of good, well-sailed boats in the past few years. A friend of
mine lost his J/35 in a quite similar way a few years ago, but was lucky
enough to survive along with his partner.
In this latest incident there was apparently no EPIRB signal, so it's
likely there was no automatic EPIRB properly mounted and ready, which
might well have alerted the USCG fast enough to save lives. There's been
discussion of making EPIRB mandatory in ocean races, but no action thus
far, even though cost is now quite reasonable (as little as $500).
Hopefully this tragic incident will improve the chances of making EPIRB
mandatory in ocean races, preferably automatic EPIRB properly mounted
and ready.
-John Navas
http://sail.navas.us
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