SKIP ALLAN RECEIVES US SAILING RESCUE MEDAL

29 July 2002 (Portsmouth, RI/Kaneohe, HI)--On Sunday, July 28, 2002, Chuck Hawley, Advisor to the US SAILING Safety at Sea Committee, presented the US SAILING Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to Skip Allan at the West Marine Pacific Cup Awards Ceremony, in Kaneohe, HI.

On Friday May 3, 2002 during race three of the Moore-24 Nationals at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, CA, the wind was 18-20 knots, with 2-4 foot seas. All of the 22-boat fleet was planing downwind at 12-16 knots, when several of the leading boats did windward broaches under spinnaker. Skip Allan aboard "Wildflower," a Wylie 27 was solo, watched from about 1/4 mile distance.

When the third place boat, #155 broached, there seemed to be people in the water. Allan sped to the scene and found three people in the water including the helmsman. There were two crew left on #155 trying to get their spinnaker stowed, the jib unwrapped around the headstay and the boat turned around.

Allan deployed his Life Sling, and began a jibe circle. By this time, #155 had tacked back and converged with the group of victims and was able to haul one of them back aboard. #155 made a second pass, and a second victim abandoned the middle of the Life Sling rope he was holding, and was rescued by his crew.

The last victim, the helmsman, was clearly in dire straits, and sinking lower in the water by the minute. He croaked "help me" and seemed about to go under. Only the top of his head was visible. Allan hauled in about 25 feet of Life Sling rope and grabbed the victim’s wrist. He was exhausted, and his foul weather gear and boots were full of water. The additional water weight was too heavy to pull him aboard from amidships. His life vest appeared to be waterlogged. Allan worked him aft, and around to the stern ladder. The victim had enough strength to climb, but barely. He'd swallowed quite a bit of water, and probably had less than a minute before he finally went under for good. Allan sped full speed back into Santa Cruz Harbor, while the victim coughed up water. The victim spent 8-10 minutes in the 52-degree water. The victim recovered quickly once on shore and changed into dry clothes.

For recognizing a perilous situation, rendering aid, and rescuing a near hypothermic sailor, US SAILING will present the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to Skip Allan.

The US SAILING Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is given to skippers of pleasure boats or race support vessels who effect rescues of victims from the water. The award is made for rescues in U.S. waters, or in races that originate or terminate in a U.S. port. The Rescue Medal has been in existence for twelve years and is administered by US SAILING’s Safety-at-Sea Committee (SASC). More information about the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal can be found at http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Rescues/hansonstories.htm.

The Rescue Medal recognizes acts of exemplary seamanship, and the award process is also used by the SASC as a way to gain more education about rescues at sea. The data and stories of award nominees are studied carefully for the common practices that contribute to, or deter from, the success of a rescue operation.

Born December 8, 1916, Arthur B. “Tim” Hanson started sailing as a child at his family's home on the Chesapeake Bay. He continued the sport during his years at Cornell University and the College of William and Mary. In 1963, Hanson purchased Figaro III, a 47.5 foot Sparkman and Stephens yawl, and renamed it Foolscap. He sailed every Newport-Bermuda Race from 1964 - 1982, four transatlantic races including, Bermuda to Travemunde, Germany; Bermuda to Vigo, Spain; Newport to Cork, Ireland; and Bermuda to Khristiansand, Norway. He also raced many Annapolis - Newport and Marblehead-Halifax races and Block Island Race Weeks. In the early 1970s, Hanson tested the first Electronic Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) on a private yacht during a transatlantic race.

The United States Sailing Association is the national governing body for the sport of sailing, the mission of which is to encourage participation and excellence in sailing and racing in the United States. The organization achieves its goals through member organizations and volunteers, located throughout the United States, who are supported by an administrative staff located at the organization’s headquarters in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. For more information about US SAILING, visit the website at www.ussailing.org or call (401) 683-0800.