Lessons from the sinking of Alliance

During the Newport Bermuda Race this year, the J/122 Alliance struck a submerged object in the Gulf Stream in the middle of the night, suffering damage that caused her to sink (A Eulogy for Alliance).

Fellow racers aboard Ceilidh, a J/121, and Banter, an Archambault 40, responded to Alliance’s mayday, and while Ceilidh took on the entire nine-person crew from their liferaft, Banter stayed close by until everyone was safely in Bermuda. In September, US Sailing awarded the responding crews its Arthur B. Hansen Rescue Medal.

SAIL Managing Editor Lydia Mullan was a member of Alliance’s regular crew and spoke with others about key takeaways from the sinking. – Full report