At 02:27 UTC this morning, Monday, 2 December, a crew member went overboard from the yacht Ocean Breeze, which was participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) in the mid-Atlantic. The vessel initiated a search.
MRCC Norfolk USA is coordinating the rescue operation.
The casualty’s next of kin have been informed.
In a statement, the World Cruising Club rally organisers say they understand 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.
MRCC (Marine Rescue Coordination Centre) Norfolk issued an emergency alert to all shipping for assistance. ARC yacht Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X are now involved in the search. Due to the incident's distance from land, air cover is impossible.
"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 organisers say.
Ocean Breeze is an Austrian-flagged Volvo 70 yacht participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), an annual event that spans 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 2,700NM across the Atlantic to Saint Lucia. 2024 is the 39th edition of this sailing event.
