Sailing Fans Reeling Over Yacht Race Death- 4 still Missing

[Pachamama]

4. The weather on Saturday was beautiful and clear....

The weather in the Bay Area was spectacular on Saturday....there were no storms or warnings...

What it is, is that there can be very strong waves once you get out of the Golden Gate. I have sailed out that way in prior races with 15 ft swells & waves. It can be like a washing machine. Sailors know this when they go out there. My understanding from talking to a few folks who spoke with survivors of the accident, is that it was a rogue wave that hit them unexpectedly and they werent harnessed in. The boat did the emergency maneuver we are all trained in to get man overboard and that is when the boat got too close too rocks and pushed in. They crashed against rocks to get their mates.

Sailing in Bay Area is some of the most challenging in the world.....no slam on So Cal, but its very difficult in the Bay itself with the ebb and tide. I have sailed with cocky sailors drom around the world who come and sail in the Bay thinking piece of cake and then are humbled. Only the Kiwi's in my opinion can compare with our waters which is why I think they are so good at racing in the Americas Cup. If you can sail in the San Francisco Bay, you can sail anywhere in the world that isnt ocean racing. If you can sail outside the golden Gate near the Farallon Islands, you can sail any ocean waters in the world.

Just 2 weeks ago, a racing boat in the Round -the-world sailing race had a rogue wave disable their steering and seriously injure several sailors. Its a tough area to sail. These sailors were very experienced too.