Tropical Storm Alberto-One Lost One Saved

by Paul Everest/Sail World Cruising on 17 Jun 2006 Tropical Storm Alberto, the first ‘Alberto’ for 12 years, off the East Coast of North America was gauged as only a ‘post-tropical storm’ by the time the sailing boats Dad’s Dream and Free Spirit found themselves in trouble in the storm’s aftermath. After Dad's Dream's mast broke and they were taking on water, they were daringly rescued from a boat that had become more like Dad's Nightmare. But the search has been called off for Free Spirit.

Paul Everest of the Chronicle Herald reported the good news that three people were rescued from the sailing vessel Thursday night off the coast of Nova Scotia in rough seas caused by the aftermath of Alberto.

The trio was airlifted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter at about 10:30 p.m. from a 13-metre vessel with a broken mast just over 200 kilometres south of Halifax.

'They were taking on water and dealing with terrible weather conditions,' said Capt. Sonia Connock, spokeswoman for Halifax’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to help save the sailors.

A U.S. Coast Guard news release said rescuers battled nine-metre seas throughout the incident.

Rescue operations began Thursday afternoon when a Hercules CC-130 aircraft was sent out from CFB Greenwood to investigate an emergency signal and located the ship. According to U.S. officials, the Halifax-based sailboat was named Dad’s Dream.

The Hercules had to turn back, however, due to winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour after making contact with the crew, said Capt. Connock. An American coast guard jet also responded to the scene at about 8 p.m., she said.

At approximately 8:30 p.m. a second Hercules plane arrived at the site and circled the vessel, lowering a pump to the crew to remove water from the ship. The HMCS Halifax also left port at 8:55 p.m. to assist in the rescue.

The helicopter which rescued the sailors was sent out just before 9 p.m. and flew them to Yarmouth.

'It’s an excellent example of co-operation between Canadian and American rescue crews,' said Capt. Connock.

'It’s a happy conclusion.'

Canadian aircraft also assisted in the search for Free Spirit,an American vessel missing 370 kilometres south of Halifax. The sailboat carrying British lawyer Jacek Bielecki, 56, his son Jack, 19, and family friend Richard White, 34, sent out a distress signal around noon Thursday. At the behest of the distressed family The U.S. Coast Guard had continued the search for another 24 hours after some debris and an epirb were found in the sea.

In spite of the family's insistance that all on board were experienced sailors and the crew could be in a life raft somewhere, no further sign been found at time of writing this article.