FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800

US SAILING Awards Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal
to Three Teenage Sailors and Father-Son Team

Portsmouth, R.I. (May 28, 2008)- US SAILING recently awarded its Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to three teenage sailors and a father and son team from New Orleans’ Southern Yacht Club credited with saving the lives of three adults whose boat had capsized on Lake Pontchartrain in January.

Chris Algero, 15 years old, Clerc Cooper, 14, and Jon Nunn, 14, were sailing their Club’s 19-foot Flying Scot on a windy January day when they noticed a shallow-draft fishing boat, having difficulty with its outboard engine, being tossed about in the heavy chop. As they watched, the boat swamped and capsized. The teenagers sailed closer to assist the three adults, who had been dumped into the frigid water, noticing as they approached that the victims were without floatation devices and having a hard time keeping their heads above the surface.

The three teenagers teamed up with Walter Leger and his son Rhett - who were testing their new 11-foot rigid inflatable boat in nearby sheltered water - to pick up the capsized sailors.

Chris Algero, Clerc Cooper, Jon Nunn, Walter Leger and Rhett Leger were awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal at Southern Yacht Club’s Juby Wynne One-Design Regatta last Sunday. The awards were presented by Karen Reisch, a member of US SAILING's House of Delegates, and Chip Carpenter, one of the founders of US SAILING's Arthur B. Hanson Medal Program. Captain Lincoln Stroh, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, also awarded commendations and medals to the five involved in the rescue.

Tom Long, of Southern Yacht Club who nominated the rescuers for US SAILING’S Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal, said: “I’d venture to say these people saved three lives.”

About US SAILING’s Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal
The US SAILING Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is given to skippers of pleasure boats or race support vessels who affect rescues of victims from the water. The award is made for rescues in U.S. waters, or in races that originate or terminate in a U.S. port. The Rescue Medal program is administered by US SAILING's Safety at Sea Committee (SASC).

The Rescue Medals recognize exemplary acts of seamanship, but the award process is also a vital part of US SAILING's effort to gain more education about rescues at sea. The data and stories of award nominees are studied carefully by the SASC for the common practices that contribute to, or deter from, the success of a rescue operation.

For more information about US SAILING’s Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal program, please visit www.ussailing.org/Safety/Rescues/index_new.asp.  

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

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