Man overboard mid Atlantic; second yacht abandoned

Swedish sailor Dag Eresund was lost overboard from Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday while sailing with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). Crew abandoned a second yacht, a catamaran, which was taking on water.

The search for Eresund was called off at the end of daylight on Monday amid worsening seas and gusts up to 30 knots. ARC yachts have been asked to divert to help search the area which is approximately 130 miles east of Bermuda.

‘It is with great sadness that the World Cruising Club (WCC) confirms that 33-year-old Swedish sailor Dag Eresund was lost overboard from yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday 2 December at 0227 UTC,’ said the WCC, which organises the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

An 18-hour search was coordinated by MRCC (Marine Rescue Coordination Centre) Norfolk USA and involved the yacht Ocean Breeze, ARC yacht Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X. Air cover was not possible due to the distance of the incident from land.

The MRCC has requested that all able vessels should amend course to pass through the search area of 20o24.838N 043o11.623W and to keep a sharp lookout for any signs of a person in the water. All ARC yachts have been asked to assist with MRCC’s request.

This area will be amended over time to take account of drift rates and weather conditions and MRCC Norfolk will continue to provide updated coordinates.

The 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 Dag Eresund’s 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.

Separately, a Swedish Leopard 45 catamaran Karolina Viking issued a MAYDAY at 0300 UTC on Monday 2 December, reporting a leak in the starboard engine with water coming from the base of the rudder and seeping into other areas of the starboard hull.

In coordination with MRCC Cape Verde, the skipper decided to head to the Cape Verde islands under the port motor, approximately 300 miles upwind, where it met ARC
yacht, Cinderella di Ranremo around midday.

With the electrical system now affected by the water, the skipper and crew made the decision to abandon ship. The five crew of Karolina Viking joined the five crew of the 22.5m Jongert Cinderella di Sanremo. ‘We thank Gerald Smith and his Cinderella di Sanremo crew for their actions,’ the WCC said.

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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