Saturday was the Crewed Farallones race. You have probably read about racing around the Farallones if you have been reading this blog, but in a nutshell it is a 60 mile race from San Francisco Bay around the SE Farallones Is and back. We call the Farallones Is, the rock pile. It is an intimidating rocky outcrop in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and when conditions are rough still a scary place after all these years of sailing around it. It is best to give it a wide berth, though in mellow conditions many of us have tried to cut some corners. Myself I always make sure I'm never the closest boat and keep some safe waypoints all the way around the island to guide me on rough and low visibility conditions. There are a few variations of this race, one with fully crewed boats (the one this past Saturday), a double handed version and a single handed version. I have probably done more singlehanded versions of the race than the other two combined. A good friend and fellow sailor invited me to go on his boat for the race. We have raced many ocean miles either together or against each other. For this race we would have a very experienced crew of singlehanded racers and other well seasoned crew.
Our story is not the significant event. We started, sailed a conservative race out to the first set of channel markers with a reef on the main and our #4, our skipper decided it was enough and we turned back home. The conditions, though heavy and challenging (20+ knots, 10-15 foot swells with bigger sets) are not uncommon for the area nor for the crew of our boat. There was no hesitation to turn the boat around when the decision was made. We had just gone across a huge breaking set smack in the middle of the channel and we would likely have to deal with another 3 miles of similar conditions before getting into the deeper water west of the channel.
Soon after we turned around we saw a competitor had snapped their mast on the shoal area just South of the channel. On our way out we had seen two Coast Guard lifeboats following the fleet out. We were a fair distance away and in the rough conditions it would be difficult for us to provide much assistance. With their mast down we weren't sure if the boat was able to make a distress call if it needed to, so we called in a Mayday and informed the CG of the situation and their position. We soon saw the two CG lifeboats headed for the sailboat in distress and we continued on back to the bay monitoring the radio. From the radio conversation it sounded that there were no emergencies and one of the lifeboats would remain on station until the crew could sort out the mess and head back home.
We had a couple of big surfs on our way in, still with a reefed main and our small jib. Inside Pt Bonita we shook off the reef and set the kite for a great sail back to Alameda. Spirits were high on board and everyone was making plans for their regained afternoon.
It wasn't until late that evening that my friend called with the bad news. A boat had been lost at the Farallones Is. The news reported that a large wave had swept 4 crew off the boat, and in an attempt by the remaining crew to rescue them another wave had slammed the boat into the rocks. The CG was already in full search and rescue mode and had pulled 3 survivors from the island and one deceased sailor. Even worse 4 of the crew were still missing. It was already dark and the prospects of any successful recoveries become slimmer every hour that passes. This has been a shocking experience. The sport we love can be a trying and dangerous at times. I don't have much to offer, other than my thoughts and prayers for the crew of the lost boat and their shoreside families.
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