Yesterday, the World Cruising Club (WCC) released a statement regarding a Swedish sailor lost overboard in the mid-Atlantic from the Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday while sailing with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).
“It is with great sadness that World Cruising Club confirms that a 33-year-old sailor was lost overboard from yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday 2 December at 02:27 UTC. Next of kin have been informed and the other 14 crew onboard the yacht are safe.
“The search was coordinated by Marine Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) Norfolk USA and involved Ocean Breeze, ARC yacht Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X. Air cover was not possible due to the distance of the incident from land.
“With loss of daylight and in worsening seas, MRCC Norfolk ended the active search at 20:45 UTC on Monday 2 December. MRCC has requested that all vessels able should amend course to pass through the search area of 20o28.743N 043o21.785W and to keep a sharp lookout for any signs of a person in the water. All ARC yachts have been asked to assist with MRCC’s request.”
This area will be amended over time to take account of drift rates and weather conditions. MRCC Norfolk will continue to provide updated coordinates.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the casualty’s family and friends and with all the crew members on Ocean Breeze at this unbelievably difficult time.
We thank the skippers and crew of Leaps & Bounds 2 and Project X for diverting to assist in the search.
At the request of the family, World Cruising Club has now redacted the casualty’s name.
We have no additional information about the incident and will release further information as it becomes available.
In a separate incident, a Swedish Leopard 45 catamaran Karolina Viking issued a Mayday call at 0300 UTC on Monday, December 3, reporting a leak in the starboard engine with water coming from the base of the rudder and seeping into other areas of the starboard hull.
In coordination with MRCC Cape Verde, the skipper decided to head to the Cape Verde islands under the port motor, approximately 300 miles upwind, where it met ARC
yacht, Cinderella di Ranremo around midday.
With the electrical system damaged by the water, the skipper and crew made the decision to abandon ship. The five crew of Karolina Viking joined the five crew of the 22.5m Jongert Cinderella di Sanremo. ‘We thank Gerald Smith and his Cinderella di Sanremo crew for their actions,’ the WCC said.
In total, 820 people onboard 140 yachts are sailing in ARC 2024. The event departed from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday, November 24, heading 2,700 miles across the Atlantic to Saint Lucia. 2024 is the 39th edition of this sailing event.