The Dauphin Island Race is a popular race for Southern Alabama racers each year, typically pulling in anywhere from 10 to 15 beach cats and other smaller boats. This year, the 57th running of the regatta, promised "one of the largest one-day, point-to-point races" beginning south of downtown Mobile, AL, and ending 18 nautical miles later at Dauphin Island.
A 32-year old crew member onboard St. Somewhere caught 16 minutes of video on a head-mounted GoPro.
[su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJF7i5z9lQ4&feature=youtu.be"]
Before the race, sailors waited out an onshore AP for an hour due to stormy weather. But then, things looked good, and out everyone went racing. A thunderstorm was in the forecast, but nothing too serious.
What came next is a bit baffling. The National Weather Service has winds recorded at 73 mph at Mobile Bay Lighthouse just after 3 p.m. "Within seconds, a wall of I-don't-know-what hit us," Susan Kangal, a skipper in the race, told the New York Times.
And then, boats started capsizing.
Up to 10 boats (not all of them racing) capsized and required rescue efforts. "When it settled down, we threw a blade up and proceeded to head to FYC when we spotted three sailors floating," one Tripp 26 crew member posted on a forum. "We rescued them and learned they were sailing a Cal 24 that turtled and sank. They were in the water for more than an hour, and were in shock as they lost two crew to drowning." Currently, five more are listed as missing. At press time, the Fairhope YC has removed the scratch sheet for the race in order to protect the names of those missing and deceased.
Saturday night, racers gathered at Mobile YC to go over what happened, and what went wrong. "Those of us who were out there, we all race and sail together," Joshua Edwards told AL.com. "Most of us know the names of the people they're still looking for."
Watch participant Bo Brodbeck discuss the disaster.
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Our thoughts are with the crews, families, and friends of all the sailors.
