US Coastguard: Please don’t give up the search after 2 days!
Cheeki Rafiki, a sailing yacht from Southampton, was returning home to the UK with a crew of four, following a successful race in the Caribean. On Thursday Skipper Andrew Bridge reported that the boat was taking on water. The experienced crew believed that the situation was stable but amended their course to head for the group of islands, Azores. On Friday morning the yacht training and charter firm Stormforce Coaching lost all contact with them.
The US Coast Guard has done a fantastic job searching for the crew, but we are asking that they just give them a bit more time. It is reported that two consecutive signals were picked up from personal beacons indicating that they had made it to the life raft. They deserve a chance to be found, please help by signing this petition to ask the US Coastguard to please search again.
These are thoroughly trained yachtsmen who might well survive for days in their lifeboat or the overturned hull spotted by a cargo vessel, so there is still hope.
The petition is here, presently on 25,000 signatures but perhaps LGFers can push it up some more. x