US SAILING

Safety At Sea - Hanson Rescue Award Recipient
 
The Officers, Directors and Members of
 US SAILING
are pleased to present the
ARTHUR B. HANSON RESCUE MEDAL
to

JACOB VARGISH

for the rescue as follows:

On May 29, 2004 at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport Memorial Day Regatta, winds were 17-20 mph with a 1'- 3' chop, water temperature at 43-degrees and air temperature at 53-degrees.  Peter Muir skippering the Shields Ann sailing in tight company downwind near the finish line was hit by a sudden gust, which cause the boat to accidentally jibe.  The boom struck Muir sending him overboard.

Crew Bernie Patterson took the helm performing the quickstop maneuver by immediately heading into the wind.  Patterson and fellow crew Jacob Vargish saw that Muir was face down in the water, not moving, and had not deployed his manually inflatable PFD.  Vargish immediately jumped into the water and swam the 20' to Muir's position and inflated Muir's PFD.  

Being in the finish line area, an unidentified powerboat that was standing by with two people aboard, was closest to the victim, and pulled the now conscious Muir and Vargish from the water, and took them directly to the Sail Newport dock a short distance away.  Muir had spent approximately 5 minutes in the very cold water.  Ann returned to her mooring.

Congratulations to Jacob Vargish for entering the water in hypothermic conditions to provide immediate assistance to an unconscious victim by providing adequate flotation and clearing the victim's airway assisting in the rescue.  US SAILING is pleased to present the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal in recognition of this event.

Bill Munster
 Safety at Sea Chairman
by direction

The Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal was presented July 8, 2006 at Sail Newport
by US SAILING Board Member Susan Epstein.

DETAILS:
 

We were participating in the Annual Memorial Day Regatta on 29 May 2004, sailing in Shields 163.  Crew consisted of Peter Muir, Jacob Vargish, Doug Hancher, and myself, Bernie Patterson.  The weather was clear and cold, wind gusting to 20 plus; seas were 1-3 feet and choppy in the vicinity of the finish line.  During the third race, Peter Muir was driving and I was on the main.  At the finish line, sailing downwind in very tight quarters, our boat was hit with a sudden gust of wind, which caused an accidental jibe.  During the jibe, Peter was hit by the boom and knocked overboard.  Although wearing an inflatable life vest, it was the type that required manual activation.  I took the helm and brought the boat head to wind.  At this time both Jacob and myself noticed that Peter was face down in the water, was motionless, and his life vest was not inflated.  Without hesitation, Jacob jumped into the water and quickly swam to Peter's location, about 20 feet away.  Jacob immediately activated Peter's life vest and remained with him until a mark boat arrived a few minutes later and picked them both up.  I believe that Peter was stunned by the boom and may have been momentarily rendered unconscious.  If that is the case, he may not have been able to activate his vest by himself and may have gone under before I, or a mark boat, could maneuver close enough for a pickup.  In my opinion, Jacob Vargish very probably saved Peter Muir's life.  Jacob unselfishly went to the aid of a friend without fear or regard for his own safety.

Date of Incident: 29 May 2004
Event Name: Annual Newport Memorial Day Regatta
Sponsoring Club: Sail Newport, Newport, RI
Body of Water:  Narragansett Bay
Was this Day or Night?:  Day
Air Temperature?:       50-55
Water Temperature:      40-45
What was the wind speed?:       17-20
Sea State?:     1-3 ft
Victims Name?:  Peter Muir
Boat Name:       "Ann" Shields #163
What position was the victim working in: Helmsman
Was a PFD Worn?:         Yes, Manual inflatable
Rescuing Boat #1
Skippers Name:  Peter Muir
Boat Name:              Ann
Boat Type:       Shields #163
Rescuing Boat #2
Skippers Name:  Unknown
Boat Name:      Unknown
Nature of the Incident:         MOB
What Happened: See Above
Did the victims boat lose sight of the victim:  No
Was a GPS or other MOB tracking device employed:        No
Was a rescue swimmer put in the water:  No
What color clothes were visible from the water:                 Red
Was the victim able to assist in the recovery:          No
How did the victim get hoisted from the water:  The two crew members of Mark Boat
Did the victim sustain any injuries:    Yes  mild concussion
Was a lifesling aboard :   No
How much time did the victim spend in the water:        5 mins
Did a mayday call go out:       No
Was the race sailed under ISAF special regs including US Sailing prescriptions? No
Nominators Name:        Bernard Patterson
Do you give permission to have this story published:    Yes
Do you have any copies of Articles about the incident to share:         No


US Sailing Association
The National Governing Body for the Sport of Sailing