The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for the four sailors who, aboard the First 40.7 “Cheeki Rafiki,” were shipwrecked in the Atlantic while on their way back to Britain from Antigua Sailing Week. The last communication coming from aboard the boat was dated Thursday, May 15, when the crew had issued an SOS saying they were headed to the Azores and that the Beneteau was taking on water but could not be told from where.
THE FOUR SAILORS WHO DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR
It is most likely that the boat sank and the four men (Andrew Bridge, 21, Paul Goslin, 56, James Male, 23, and Steve Warren, 52) abandoned it aboard the life raft, but unfortunately, after a frantic two-day search, with three Canadairs engaged in the area surrounding where the accident occurred (more than 4,000 square miles), nothing was found. Weather conditions did not help, with winds over 50 knots, waves of more than six meters and visibility reduced to one mile.
BOAT OVERTURNED?
A cargo ship called the Coast Guard and said it had encountered an overturned hull in the area (between Cape Cod and the Azores), but had not stopped because it was obvious that no one was on board.
(images taken from bbc.com)
