Crew member overboard while sailing across the Atlantic

Several yachts are searching for a crew member lost overboard from racing yacht Ocean Breeze during an Atlantic crossing.

At 0227 UTC on Monday 2 December, a crew member went overboard from the yacht Ocean Breeze in the mid-Atlantic and a search was initiated by the vessel, the World Cruising Club said in a brief statement.

The WCC, organisers of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), said the rescue operation is being coordinated by MRCC Norfolk USA and the casualty’s next of kin have been informed.

MRCC (Marine Rescue Coordination Centre) Norfolk issued an emergency alert to all shipping for assistance, and ARC yacht Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X are now involved in the search. Air cover is not possible due to the distance of the incident from land.

World Cruising Club understands that the casualty was wearing an automatically inflatable lifejacket with a personal AIS beacon attached. ‘We do not know the circumstances of the incident and we will not speculate,’ the WCC said.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the casualty, their family and friends and with all the crew members on Ocean Breeze at this unbelievably difficult time,’ the WCC said.

Ocean Breeze is an Austrian-flagged Volvo 70 yacht that is sailing in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the annual event from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia.

Ocean Breeze is one of 11 yachts sailing in the IRC racing division of the rally. Yachts in this division must comply with the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations for Category 1 and the World Cruising Club safety equipment requirements.

In total, 820 people onboard 140 yachts are sailing in ARC 2024. The event departed from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday 24 November, heading 2,700 miles across the Atlantic to Saint Lucia. 2024 is the 39th edition of this sailing event.

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