Four British sailors, Andrew Bridge, 21, a professional skipper and three crew members, have been missing in the Atlantic since Friday. They were on their way back to England from the Caribbean on the Beneteau First 40.7 "Cheeki Rafiki". The charter yacht from Stormforce Coaching had taken part in Antigua Sailing Week and was on its way back.
Skipper Andrew Bridge had already informed a colleague at the charter company on Thursday that water was entering the ship. But the situation seemed to be under control. The crew changed course for the Azores. When contact was lost on Friday, the yacht was about halfway between Cape Cod and the Azores in the middle of the Atlantic. The US Coast Guard launched a search operation involving two aircraft and cargo ships in the vicinity of the accident site. The crew of the "Maersk Kure" sighted a capsized yacht, but the weather conditions and the freighter's equipment did not permit a closer examination. The US Coast Guard ended the search as early as Sunday, according to "The Guardian" reported.
Friends and relatives of the missing sailors have now made urgent appeals to the authorities to resume the search. The well-known extreme sailor Pete Goss also joined this call and sent a Online petition to resume the search.
"How long the search for survivors continues after an accident must always be decided on a case-by-case basis. However, in the DGzRS operational area on the North Sea and Baltic Sea, the search continues until there is no longer any chance of rescue. The duration of the search operation does not depend on how many people are in distress at sea," says Antke Reemts, DGzRS spokesperson in Bremen.
On Friday, the US Coast Guard received two EPIRB signals from the "Cheeki Rafiki", but was unable to locate her. It is still hoped that the crew abandoned the yacht and boarded the life raft.
Michael Rinck
Redakteur Test & Technik
