The fatality report has been released for the 2018 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, which took place on July 21 last year and was the scene of the death of sailor Jon Santarelli. Per SailingScuttlebutt.com, the Safety Enhancement Committee’s report indicated a failure of Santarelli’s auto-inflate personal flotation devices (PFD)and provided analysis of extensive interviews conducted to research what happened once he went overboard.
Santarelli fell from the TP52 sailboat Imedi shortly after the beginning of the Race to Mackinac, but wind speeds of 20 to 25 knots and six-to-eight-foot waves meant immediate recovery attempts were futile.
‘Experienced sailor’ Santarelli was recovered by the Chicago Police Department in Lake Michigan one week after the race.
