One Dead and Four Missing aboard the 38-foot Low Speed Chase Swept Overboard during the Full Crew Farallones Race

Tragedy struck during the Full Crew Farallones Race sail boat race as the crew of the crew aboard the 38-foot Low Speed Chase were swept overboard by a powerful wave during a yacht race with seas running at 10-12 feet. Sadly, one crew member is dead and four are still missing. Following  the accident, the Coast Guard and National Guard helicopters and water craft rescued three crew members and the body of the other crew member was pulled from the water.

A powerful wave swept four crew members off a sailboat during a race near San Francisco, leaving one person dead and four others missing, the Coast Guard said early Sunday.

The eight-member crew aboard the 38-foot Low Speed Chase was participating in a yacht race from San Francisco Bay around the Farallon Islands on Saturday afternoon as their craft ran aground.

Seas were running high at 10-12 feet when the Low Speed Chase was hit by a larger wave and the four were washed overboard, Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said.

Having participated in such yachting races and experienced wave pounding against me as I leaned out over the rail of a racing sail boat strapped into the harness letting the jib in and out, or trying to tack in heavy seas (VIDEO), I can only imagine what it was like to have a rogue wave hit when you least expect it. Prayer to the families of those lost and missing.

UPDATE I: Comments from The Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay:

The Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay, The Ocean Yacht Racing Association, and the Board of Directors would like to express our deepest sympathies at this time of sorrow to the family and friends of the lost crewman of “Low Speed Chase”. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the missing crew in hopes they are returned home safely.