Friends of the sailors lost and killed in a yachting race accident last weekend near the Farallon Islands held a memorial flotilla Saturday evening.
The Low Speed Chase Memorial Flotilla, an unofficial event organized by friends of the five sailors who were washed overboard by waves and killed on Saturday, April 14, began at 7 p.m.
Boats congregated to the southeast of Elephant Rock in Tiburon and were scheduled to sail south west toward the point of Belvedere, before returning to Tiburon, according to a program.
Participating boats were scheduled to lower wreaths and flowers into the water and take part in a memorial service before returning to their harbors.
Boats from the U.S. Coast Guard and Tiburon Fire Department also participated in the flotilla, according to organizers.
Captained by James Bradford, 41, of Chicago, the Low Speed Chase, a Sydney 38-foot yacht, was competing in the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race Saturday when it met with large waves near one of the Farallon Islands around 3 p.m., according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said.
The boat, which is based at the San Francisco Yacht Club, was tossed by the waves, sending multiple crewmembers into the water and the yacht into the rocks.
Bradford and two crew members - identified by yacht club officials as Tiburon resident Brian Chong and Nick Vos of Sonoma - were rescued by the Coast Guard and Air National Guard helicopters and boats Saturday.
One sailor, Belvedere resident Marc Kasanin, 46, was pulled out of the water by rescuers and confirmed dead Saturday, according to the yacht club. Four others-- Alexis Busch of Larkspur, Alan Cahill of Tiburon, 25-year-old Kentfield resident Jordan Fromm and Elmer Morrisey, of Ireland, remain missing.
The Coast Guard called ofF the search for survivors Sunday night after searching more than 5,000 square miles of ocean.
More than 400 people attended a vigil that was held at the San Francisco Yacht Club last Sunday.
A memorial page for the Low Speed Chase has been established on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sfyclowspeed.
