Canadian Coach Honored by US Sailing for Rescue

by Lynn Fitzpatrick on 7 Oct 2010 Tommy Wharton, Director of Sport Performance at the Canadian Sport Center Ontario, was awarded The Hanson Rescue Award by the US Sailing Safety-at-Sea Committee. Wharton, was at his final regatta as a Canadian National Sailing Team Coach, when he rescued two men adrift in Long Island Sound during the 2009 Star North American Championship. Following the event, he assumed new responsibilities with Canada’s national and provincial sports organizations in working with Rowing, Canoe, Kayak, Beach Volley Ball, Athletics and Sailing coaches and athletes to improve their competitiveness at international events.

Wharton, Canadian Yachting Association’s Coach of the Year in 2000, attended the 2009 Star North American’s to support Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn, two members of the Canadian Sailing Team, who were competing in their first international Star Class event as a team. Whether it was Clarke and Bjorn’s natural ability or Wharton’s targeted coaching, the Canadian team performed extraordinarily well over a broad range of conditions throughout the week and took second place in a field that included national, hemispheric and world champion sailors.

On the windiest day of the regatta, when a strong easterly wind, sheets of rain and excessive swells were funneling down Long Island Sound, Wharton picked his way through the rough seas and kept a trained eye on his team. On his way to the third mark rounding of the race, Wharton spotted two men adrift in the tempest, wearing life vests and clinging to one another. Wharton quickly pulled the men out of the water, supplied the older one, who had been in the water for nearly an hour, with extra clothes to warm him up and delivered him to the race committee boat where he could the monitored for hypothermia and other complications.

Wharton, who never leaves the dock without his personal floatation device, a whistle, radio and spare clothes, said, 'The incident could have unfolded a whole lot worse. Timing was a key factor in the rescue. Had they drifted 50 feet in the other direction, I could very easily have mistaken them for crab pots. They were so far off the course. I always have a couple of dry bags full of extra clothing. I gave him a whole kit of gear to try to warm him up. You’re never warm enough in those conditions.'

Wharton continued, 'This incident crystallized the debate between allowing coach boats and support boats to be out on the race course or not. It is unfortunate that an event has to happen to encourage protocol change. It highlighted the gap between the support available at some regattas and the assistance that spectator boats and coach boats can give. In all conditions, particularly when weather deteriorates quickly, coaches are there to ensure the safety of the sailors and to make racing better for everybody.'

Star crew, Tyler Bjorn, reflected, 'It was difficult to see the shore and the marks that day. There were some pretty significant puffs that day and the sea state was rough. Losing someone over board would be a tricky situation for anyone, especially if you did not have a coach or support boat. Tommy was lucky to have come upon those guys or we would be having a totally different discussion…'

'I know the class has had several different opinions regarding the need for coaches in the class and at regattas, but on that day we are all lucky that Tommy was there.'

Having been a Canadian national coach for five years and coached at 10 Laser world championships, two Olympics and led the Canadian Sailing Team at the Pan American Games, Wharton has participated in a number of rescues. The ironic thing about the 2009 rescue was that it distracted him from watching the last leg and a half of the race. As it turned out, his Canadian team of Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn won the race. It was their first victory ever as a team at an international Star Class competition. When Wharton rejoined his team, he focused on making sure that all of the standing and running rigging was working and Clarke and Bjorn were warm and hydrated. He waited until after they were safely ashore to tell them of the harrowing rescue that had taken place.

Wharton shared this year’s Hanson Rescue Award with Star skipper, Lou Roberts and crew Kevin Elterman, who were competing in the regatta. After their boat dismasted at the third mark rounding, they saw a fellow competitor who had been separated from his boat and tried to toss him a personal floatation device. It was so windy that the life vest flew right back into their boat. Risking his life, Elterman swam the personal floatation device to the sailor who had been swept overboard during the windward mark rounding. The rescue victim was wearing an inflatable personal floatation device that did not inflate automatically, nor did he know that it could be manually inflated. Elterman drifted with the victim for quite a while before being rescued by Wharton. Sailing journalist, Lynn Fitzpatrick, also participated in the rescue by alerting authorities and initiating a sweep to increase the probability of finding the missing sailors.

About the US Sailing Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal – The award is given to skippers of pleasure boats or race support vessels who effect rescues of victims from the water. The award is made for rescues in U.S. waters, or those that occur in races originating or terminating in a U.S. port. The purposes of the award are to recognize the significant accomplishment in seamanship, which has saved a life, and to collect further case studies in rescues for analysis for the US SAILING Safety-at-Sea Committee, which will eventually be incorporated, into the extensive educational programs of US SAILING. http://offshore.ussailing.org/SAS/Hanson_Rescue_Award.htm

About Canadian Sport Center Ontario - CSC Ontario is committed to the pursuit of excellence by delivering programs and services to high performance athletes and coaches that enhance their ability to achieve international podium performances. CSC Ontario was created in partnership with Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Coaching Association of Canada and the Provincial Governments to provide enhanced opportunities for athletes to achieve international podium success. www. cscontario.ca

About Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn – Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn are veterans of the Canadian Sailing Team. Both had outstanding results as Finn sailors. Clarke was Canada’s Olympic Finn representative from 1992 through 2004. The pair participates in a variety of dinghy, keelboat and offshore racing campaigns. Their 2009-2010 results include:

Star

2010 - Skandia Sail for Gold – Grade 2 – 12 – Weymouth & Portland

2010 - European Championship – Grade 1 – Bronze – Viareggio

2010 - Star Western Hemisphere – Gold – Nassau

2009 - Star North American Championship – Grade 1 – Silver

Keelboat

2010 - Rolex US-IRC National Champion –Vela Veloce - Clarke Helm, Bjorn Grinder

2010 – Vineyard Race – first - Vela Veloce – Clarke Helm, Bjorn Grinder

2010 IRC Rolex St Thomas - first – Vela Veloce - Bjorn Grinder

2010 Caribbean 600 - Key West - second – Vela Veloce - Clarke Helm, Bjorn Grinder

2009 - Melges 24 World Champion, Richard Clarke – Tactician

www.worldregattas.com