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Second Irish Sailor Reported Missing in San Francisco Yacht Race Accident

16th April 2012
Second Irish Sailor Reported Missing in San Francisco Yacht Race Accident

#MISSING SAILORS – A second Irish sailor is reported among the crew missing from a yacht capsized onto rocks in San Francisco's worst sailing accident in recent times on Saturday.

The acccient has left one dead and four missing.

Cork professional sailor Alan Cahill who was based in the United States for over 15 years but who learned to sail at Royal CorkYacht Club has been named by the San Franciso Yacht Club as one of the missing crew here.

"It's a tragedy of unbelievable proportions," said yacht club director Ed Lynch. "It doesn't affect just this club, it affects sailors all over the world. It's going to hit us hard for a long, long time. "We're all deeply saddened."

Local media are reporting this morning that another Irish sailor Elmer Morrissey is the fourth missing crew man but organisers, the San Francisco Yacht Club, say the final missing crewman's name will not be revealed until his family have been informed.

The Irish Independent reports that Morrissey is from Cork and was on board the 38-ft Low Speed Chase was competing in the race from San Francisco Bay around the Farallon Islands, some 27 miles off the US west coast.

RTE News is reporting that Alan Cahill is a married father of two young children, is originally from Cork, but lived in Tiburon, San Francisco. Cahil's friend Elmer Morrissey was on his second day visiting from Ireland.

A Mayday call reporting the accident went out at about 3 p.m on Saturday.

Three other sailors were rescued from the rocks on Saturday afternoon after the boat ran aground onto Southeast Farallon Island.

Forty-nine boats competed in this year's race, which started Saturday, taking the fleet out the Golden Gate Bridge and around the Southeast Farallones Island.

 

 

Published in News Update
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