Survivor’s Reflection on Farallones Tragedy
Bryan Chong, 38, of Tiburon was one of three sailors who survived Saturday’s tragedy at the Farallon Islands. He made this public statement yesterday:
"I am absolutely devastated at the sudden and tragic boat accident on Saturday afternoon during the Full Crew Farallones Race. I’m in shock at the loss of my five sailing companions Alan Cahill, Marc Kasanin, Jordan Fromm, Alexis Busch, and Elmer Morrissey. Alan and Marc were dear friends and longtime sailing mates, both true watermen when measured by practice and spirit.
"The ocean is powerful and lacks the compassion that has been so generously bestowed by friends, family, neighbors and the sailing community. We’ll spend years looking back on this weekend, asking questions that may never have answers. Sailboat racing is about making the best decision with the information at hand. Organizers strive to create the best routes and race environment. Captains and crew strive to get around the race course as quickly and safely as possible. The entire crew of wet smiles that went sailing toward the Farallon Islands on the Low Speed Chase would not want this tragedy to overshadow the rewards of sailboat racing.
"I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the U.S. Coast Guard, Air National Guard and emergency responders who put their lives on the line for us. Their helicopter rescue reminds me how fortunate we are to have these resources available.
"Finally, I want to thank the San Francisco Yacht Club and the Corinthian Yacht Club for their outpouring of love and compassion during the past 48 hours. The Tiburon Peninsula prides itself on being a close-knit sailing community. This weekend the outpouring of humanity from this community warmed my heart.
"We ask for privacy for our families during this extremely difficult time of loss and profound sadness. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were lost and their families."
We cannot even imagine the shock and grief borne by Bryan, the other survivors, and the friends and families of the five stricken sailors. Our hearts go out to them all. We hope to bring you the full story of how this tragedy unfolded in the May 1 edition of Latitude 38.