AYSF Team Attempt Rescue
A tragedy unfolded Friday afternoon when a woman’s minivan careened across Marina Green and into the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. At Golden Gate YC, the American Youth Sailing Force — the local Red Bull Youth America’s Cup team — were getting ready for a fundraising mixer at the club when the accident occurred.
Almost immediately, several of the young men jumped into the team’s Protector to attempt a rescue, but by the time they arrived on scene, the minivan was already nose down and sinking fast. "When we saw the van in the water, our first thought was we’ve got to go help" said Ian Andrewes, sailing team manager. In the minute or two it took to reach the van, three of the team had stripped off their dress clothes and jumped in the water.
A video aired in KGO Channel 7’s news report showed three of the team perched on the back of the van trying to pound out the rear window. They also made several free dives to try to pull the woman free. Sadly, they were unsuccessful.
It took several hours for rescue assets from the San Francisco Fire and Police Departments to locate the van but by then conditions forced a delay in recovering the van and its sole occupant. The body of Debra Crenshaw, 60, was retrieved the next day and the vehicle removed from the Bay. The cause of death has not yet been released.
As tensions mount between the big boys in the America’s Cup, the fine young men of the Youth AC exemplify what true seamanship is all about.