Saturday afternoon, a yacht racing crew based out of the San Francisco Yacht Club suffered the bay area's deadliest yachting accident in 30 years. The Low Speed Chase, a 38-foot yacht out of Belvedere, ran aground on the Farallon Islands in 25-knot winds and 15-foot swells that struck during the running of a century-old race that loops around the wildlife refuge located 37 miles beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. Of the eight crew members on board, five were thrown overboard when the Low Speed Chase was struck by a wave. Two more sailors were thrown off the ship when a second wave crashed the boat in to the rocks on the Southeast Farallon Island.

As the Chronicle reports, a Coast Guard Helicopter was able to rescue two crew members who managed to scramble on to the Island. A third survivor was picked up from the Low Speed Chase after suffering a broken leg.

Of the five missing sailors, none were recovered alive. Belvedere resident Marc Kasanin, 46, was declared dead after his body was pulled from the water by rescue workers later Saturday. The remaining four sailors — identified as Alexis Busch of Larkspur, Alan Cahill of Tiburon, Jordan Fromm of Kentfield and Elmer Morrissey of Ireland — were declared lost after a 30-hour Coast Guard search. Even with three helicopters, a surveillance plane, two patrol boats and a Coast Guard cutter, rescue workers failed to find any sign of those who went overboard.

While the Low Speed Chase remained intact on the rocks of the island, the San Francisco Yacht Club held a members-only vigil and prayer service Sunday to remember the missing crew members. The yacht club is known for being a place where "lawyers, carpenters and doctors can all have a beer together and talk about their love of sailing." The Full Crew Farallones Race, which leaves from the St. Francis Yacht Club in the Marina, is known for rough conditions that challenge even highly skilled sailors.

The video report, via Associated Press:

[Chron]
[NYDailyNews]
[BCN]