Britt Taylor, 52, is believed to have fallen overboard 170 miles east of the Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Dick Enerson.
by Meg Walburn Viviano
SEARCH CALLED OFF FOR WOMAN LOST AT SEA SAILING TO ANNAPOLIS
The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 52-year-old sailor who reportedly fellow overboard some 170 miles off Bermuda, on her way to Annapolis.
The Coast Guard launched a search Wednesday morning after receiving an alert from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) on sailing vessel Small World IV, about 170 miles east of Eleuthera, Bahamas.
According to Boatwatch.org, an international search assistance organization for lost and overdue boaters, the captain of the 42-foot sailboat, Tony Ward, activated his EPIRB when he woke up for his watch at 2:30 a.m. to find his mate, Britt Taylor, missing. Boat Watch says Taylor disappeared sometime after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. She was believed to be wearing a “PFD Type 5 with an attached Ocean Signal personal automatic AIS beacon.”
According to Ocean Signal’s website , this device is meant to activate the DSC alarm on your vessel’s VHF, alerting your crew automatically when your life jacket inflates and activating an emergency strobe light for visibility. It’s not clear whether the device was working in this incident.
An Emergency BOLO was issued, urging all mariners to keep a sharp lookout when traveling in the area and report all sightings. The Coast Guard searched Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before making the decision to suspend their search efforts Saturday. USCG searched “more than 63 hours, covering 18,140 square miles, nearly the size of Costa Rica.”
Says Glenn Tuttle of Boat Watch, “The tragedy of this event is she and her companion are very, very experienced offshore sailors. They had one of the best Man Overboard devices on the market today, designed to prevent this exact scenario.
Taylor competed in the 2019 12-Metre World Championships in Newport, R.I. aboard Defender, whose campaign raised money for Warrior Sailing. Skipper and former America’s Cup sailor Dick Enerson tells Bay Bulletin of Taylor’s experience level, “She had sailed on 12s before, and, I think, since. I’m not sure when she started sailing, but she was very intense, and learned fast.”
-Meg Walburn Viviano
Broadcast Version For Maritime Mobile Service Network and Other Nets
UPDATE at 12:00 PM June 2, 2021:
RCC MIAMI RECEIVED A REPORT OF A 406MHZ EPIRB FOR A 42FT S/V NAMED “SMALL WORLD IV” IN POSITION: 25-49.4N 073-30.7W, APPROXIMATELY 150NM E OF ELEUTHERA, BAHAMAS.
The captain of the S/V SMALL WORLD IV, Tony Newling Ward, activated his EPIRB when he awakened at 0230 hrs Eastern Time to relieve his mate, BRITT TAYLOR, W/F, Age 52 who went overboard sometime between 2130 hrs 01 June 21 and 0230 hrs. She is presumed to be wearing a PFD Type 5 with an attached Ocean Signal personal automatice AIS beacon.
ALL MARINERS ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT WHEN TRANSITING THE AREA, ASSIST WITH COMMUNICATIONS IF POSSIBLE AND REPORT ALL SIGHTINGS TO U.S. COAST GUARD RCC MIAMI, FL TELEPHONE 305-415-6800 OR VIA EMAIL: RCCMIAMI@USCG.MIL.
The S/V SMALL WORLD IV was on passage from Puerto Rico to Annapolis at the time. USCG RCC Miami advised at 0715 hrs 02 June 2021 they have a C-130 on scene and more assets enroute to search.
RCC MIAMI RECEIVED A REPORT OF A 406MHZ EPIRB FOR A 42FT S/V NAMED “SMALL WORLD IV” IN POSITION: 25-49.4N 073-30.7W, APPROXIMATELY 150NM E OF ELEUTHERA, BAHAMAS.
ALL MARINERS ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT WHEN TRANSITING THE AREA, ASSIST WITH COMMUNICATIONS IF POSSIBLE AND REPORT ALL SIGHTINGS TO U.S. COAST GUARD RCC MIAMI, FL TELEPHONE 305-415-6800 OR VIA EMAIL: RCCMIAMI@USCG.MIL.
A 52-year-old woman reportedly fell off a boat near the Bahamas. Coast Guard is searching
The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday said it’s searching for a missing 52-year-old woman who reportedly fell of a boat near the Bahamas.
Britt Taylor was aboard a boat on its way to Annapolis, Maryland from Puerto Rico when she was reported missing at around 2:30 a.m.. on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said.
Her and the boat captain, who hasn’t been identified, were the only ones aboard the 42-foot boat named Small World IV. The Coast Guard said she fell overboard about 170 miles east of Eleuthera.
Taylor is not from Florida and lives in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a Canadian and EU citizen, an Australian permanent resident and has a US green card.
The Coast Guard and Border Patrol are currently conducting a search and rescue mission. So far seven boats and aircrafts have been used in the search.