I received this morning via email the sad news of the sinking of the sailboat Rule 62 on a reef in the northern Bahamas. As you will read below, three of the four crew members have been rescued, a fourth is missing. The email was from a friend participating in the Caribbean 1500 rally, as was Rule 62. Here are the preliminary details relayed from a boat that's still at sea:
Having made the trip from the east coast to the Caribbean in November twice and experienced gale force winds on both trips, I know the passage south is no walk in the park. This year the start of the Carib 1500 was delayed a week until Nov 8 due to weather associated with hurricane Tomas. The hurricane and the low pressure systems that came off the coast last week produced large seas from the north and sustained winds in the 20-30 knot range during much of the first 2/3rds of the trip. Our friends' boat experienced wind gusts above 50 knots in squalls associated with frontal passage.
I know you all will join us in praying for the missing crew member. The loss of Rule 62 is evidence to us all that offshore sailing is serious business, and that even when you prepare yourself and your boat well, tragedy can strike at a moment's notice.
All boats in the Carib 1500 carry transponders, so you can see where Rule 62 went ashore at
Having made the trip from the east coast to the Caribbean in November twice and experienced gale force winds on both trips, I know the passage south is no walk in the park. This year the start of the Carib 1500 was delayed a week until Nov 8 due to weather associated with hurricane Tomas. The hurricane and the low pressure systems that came off the coast last week produced large seas from the north and sustained winds in the 20-30 knot range during much of the first 2/3rds of the trip. Our friends' boat experienced wind gusts above 50 knots in squalls associated with frontal passage.
I know you all will join us in praying for the missing crew member. The loss of Rule 62 is evidence to us all that offshore sailing is serious business, and that even when you prepare yourself and your boat well, tragedy can strike at a moment's notice.