Survivor's account of the Farralones tragedy when a Sydney 38 went aground

In the aftermath of the worst sailing tragedy in recent memory, there have been conflicting details reported in the press, and discussed wherever Bay Area sailors congregate. This morning, Bryan Chong, one of only three survivors of April 14th's Full Crew Farallones Race nightmare, sets the record straight with his moving, first-person account of the deadly incident, as well the crew's actions preceding it, and he shares his thoughts on how such terrible calamities can be avoided in the future.

We salute Bryan for tackling the heart-wrenching task of retelling this sad story, and for doing so in such a clear and eloquent manner. It is no exaggeration to say that the entire Bay Area sailing community shares in his grief.

Bryan writes. . .

A Letter to the Community:

This letter goes out to a devastated sailing community still confused about the events surrounding the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race. There have been inaccuracies in the media, mostly stemming from the survivors’ silence as James (“Jay”), Nick and I are still reeling from tragedy and the loss of close friends and loved ones.  

I’ve chosen to use Sailing Anarchy, Seahorse, Latitude38 and Scuttlebutt for distributing this story because they’re of a kindred spirit and were the favorites amongst the crew of Low Speed Chase and those who already know the answer to the question, “Why would you sail in the ocean on a windy day with big swells?”

I’ve also included the Marin Independent Journal and The Tiburon Ark, as they’re the hometown newspapers in an area teeming with sailors. Many sailors relocate from around the world to Marin and the Tiburon Peninsula in order to live in proximity to the world’s best sailing. Alan Cahill moved from Cork, Ireland to race sailboats professionally in the Bay Area and the Pacific Ocean. He was the best man in our wedding and will be dearly missed while I journey this planet. 

This letter does not contain every detail, but my account should provide a basic understanding of our day on the water and what happened after the first wave hit our boat. It is meant both to illustrate how things can look normal until one event changes everything and to begin to address what we can learn. It’s my hope and intention that it will spark a wider dialogue within the sailing community about safety standards and, more importantly, safety practices.

For the full account click here to go to Latitude 38 website: http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2012-04-24#.T6BpiaGn9iJ