Bay Sailors Pay Tribute to the Lost

The Bay Area sailing community has been in a state of mourning over the loss of five sailors from Low Speed Chase on April 14. A memorial flotilla was held at sunset on Saturday in Belvedere Cove, just off San Francisco YC, to honor our lost comrades, with more than 100 boats turning out. A bagpiper played ‘Danny Boy’ as the procession made its way through Raccoon Strait, with many in attendance tossing wreaths and flowers into the water. Eight bells were sounded, five gunshots were fired, and a fireboat sent jets of water into the air to commemorate the lives of Marc Kasanin, Alexis Busch, Elmer Morrissey, Jordan Fromm and Alan Cahill.

The event was more than touching for those in attendance, it was cathartic. "It was the most beautiful tribute to those lost I could ever have imagined," said Jeff Zarwell, who was the PRO for the fateful Full Crew Farallones Race. "While it couldn’t replace the loss for the families, it was an incredible display of the love and respect this fraternity has for its own."

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We’ll have a full recap of the tragic events of that day in the May issue of Latitude 38.