Phil Rubright

Many readers and visitors to Life Floating By, have read the tragic account of the sinking of S/V Free Fall on Wednesday October 29, 2008.

The 44 foot Swan sailboat US 777, was recently purchased by Mt. Pleasant dentist Dr. Kevin Hogan from well known Long Island Sound racing sailor, Bill McFaul. It has been reported that McFaul maintained his boat in top shape and it was in excellent condition when Hogan purchased the boat last month.

On Sunday October 26 th, Hogan, fellow Mt. Pleasant sailor Teresa Gravie, 44 and Phil Rubright departed Rhode Island in route to Charleston when they encountered heavy weather and high seas.

Around 7:16 PM on Tuesday the 28th of October, the US Coast Guard received a EPIRB signal from Free Fall after the vessel was overcome and finally rolled in 40-50 foot seas and 50 knot winds. During or shortly after the initial coast guard rescue attempt Phil Rubridge would die.


Phil Rubright

As with any marine causality there are a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks. Questions about the skill, and in some cases the sanity of the crew aboard sailing vessel Free Fall abound. Even one Charleston sailor Brad Van Liew used the tragedy for self promotion proclaiming in the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper that Phil "Rubright had been to races in Charleston and had been a fan during Van Liew's two around-the-world solo sailing voyages."

The comments at the Charleston Post and Courier on line edition, and message board sites like, Sailing Anarchy range from the polite "what happened?" to outrageous ridicule. The Press of Atlantic City ran an editorial on Monday November 3rd, titled "Reckless Sailors - Endangering Lives". One news story pointed to Hogan's lack in judgement by noting that the USCG had rescued Hogan on his way to Charleston during a storm last year as well.

There are many who will wonder why anyone would leave the comfort of the couch and the safety of cable television to live their lives on the open water. Sadly those poor souls will never witness the amazing beauty of a star filled night while drifting silently along, or the stunning brilliance of dawn's first light at sea. They can not possibly understand that it is about the journey and not the destination.

To question is understandable, but according to several web sites located by LFB Phil Rubright was anything but reckless. A very accomplished blue water sailor, having competed in numerous solo great lakes regattas, including the Point Huron – Mackinac Island Solo Challenge 18 times the first in 1983, as well as several trans-atlantic solo races. Phil Rubright was a heck of a sailor, and the kind of person you always looked forward to sharing a beer with, someone who was living the dream, a life of sailing.


Phil Rubright on the Left

According to Blair Arden, the above picture of Phil, Jo, and Dave is from June, 2007. "The reason they are all red is because they had all just completed The 29th Annual GLSS 2007 Point Huron – Mackinac Island Solo Challenge. Lake Huron in June is cold, and with elapsed times ranging from 55 – 78 hours, wind burn takes its toll."

The Michigan sailor cracked four ribs and dislocated his right knee during a knockdown while competing in the 2000 OSTAR transatlantic race from Plymouth, England, to Newport, Rhode Island. "I was one second from getting my nav-station belt on," Phil would report.

He would later say "Singlehanded sailing isn’t something you do, it’s something you are."


Phil Rubright concentrates on keeping the sails full while running downwind during the 2007 GLSS Lake Erie Solo Challenge.

Mark S. Gutteridge recapping the 2001 Lower Huron Solo Challenge told this tale of how deterimend a sailor Phil Rubridge was.

"Division "B" was about to start when we noticed a competitor whose shiny kevlar mainsail was split from the luff to the leech between the first and second reef points. John and Jean Chorestecki both commented that there was another boat that would unfortunately not be able to start.

I said "Hell, that's Captain Calamity Phil Rubright; that's not going to stop him. It is just another minor inconvenience."

As Phil passed close to the start boat he asked us if we had a spare mainsail and on hearing we did not he said, "oh well I think it will last to the first mark". I commented that Phil was one of the best sailors I have ever met and after all this was the Lower Huron Challenge.

Wally McMinn recalled that Phil Rubright once became locked in his own lazaret when the top closed on him during a solo race.



Phil Rubridge second from the right during the 2008 GLSS Lake Erie Solo Challenge.

You can find more details of Phil’s life by visiting the GLSS website.
http://www.solosailor.org/

Details of the rescue attempt, video from the USCG, links to accounts of the weather in the area and photos of S/V Free Fall at the earlier post: Coast Guard Rescues 2 Mt. Pleasant Sailors

Coast Guard Rescues 2 Mt. Pleasant Sailors

Wednesday October 29, 2008 US Coast Guard reported that rescue crews from six different units, including three Cutters and three Air Stations, responded to a sinking sailboat with three people onboard approximately 102 miles southeast of Atlantic City N.J., Wednesday.



Rescued were Dr. Kevin Hogan, a 52-year-old dentist and Teresa Gravie, 44 co-owner of GLC Construction of Mt Pleasant, SC. Phil Rubright, a 65-year-old Detroit resident was recovered but pronounced deceased by the Atlantic County Medical Examiner Office in Atlantic City.


Dr. Kevin Hogan

The crew of Free Fall had been battling heavy weather and had just gone below because of the worsening weather when a rouge wave rolled the 44 foot sail boat, which after many frightening moments righted itself. During the roll the boat's EPIRB was activated and carbon fiber mast broke off just above the boom. The roll also filled Free Fall with up to six feet of water, shorted out the electrial system which made both radio and bilge pumps inoperatble. The crew would spend the next 12 hours bailing water.

The Coast Guard began its search after watch standers at the Rescue Coordination Center in Portsmouth received the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
alert now trasmitting from the severely damaged 44 foot Swan sailboat.

After obtaining the location and confirming the identy of Free Fall as well as location, Coast Guard rescue crews, aboard a C-130J and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter were launched from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C.

(Questions remain as to why the Coast Guard didn't launch one of their helicopters from nearby Air Station Atlantic City in the first place. Further why the long delay from the time the EPIRB was active until, Air Station Elizabeth City launched the Jayhawk?)

Sailor Gail Bowdish recounts in her blog Shanti, building wind and seas 24 hours after she departed Mystic, CT. Bowdish was aboard Joy For All, a Farr 50 heading south as well and was approximatly 60 miles north of Free Fall when she first heard the USCG broadcast a PAN PAN PAN alert discribing an EPIRB signal indicating the vessel Free Fall in possiable distress.

At 21:00 on the 28th Sealand Pride was heading north for Europe on her regular bi-weekly run. She reported a position of 34.48N and 71.42W directly south of Free Fall. At the time she reported wind 260 at 52 knots and noted that a pressure reading of a very low 1000 mlb.

Upon hearing the same Pan Pan Pan hear by Gail Bowdish aboard Joy For All Sealand Pride altered course and began making way toward the stricken sailboat. It would take her another 9 hours to arrive on scene.

Around 1 AM, six hours after the rouge wave demasted Free Fall, the Elizabeth City rescue crews arrived on scene but were unable to hoist the three passengers from the FREE FALL due to the extreme weather conditions consisting of rain and 40-50 knot winds and 40-50 foot seas. Additionaly the pitching deck, which was covered with a tangle of rigging wire and lines increased the risk to an extreme level.

The rescue crew determined that in order to conduct a safe hoist the passengers and the rescue swimmer had to enter the water. The rescue swimmer and Mr. Rubright entered the water to attempt the hoist but the rescue basket and hoist cable were damaged by a large wave.

The helicopter crew then deployed a life raft and Mr. Rubright was placed in it. Reportedly another large wave hit and injured the rescue swimmer and tossed Mr. Rubright from the life raft. The injured rescue swimmer was unable to recover Mr. Rubright.

The helicopter crew employed the Emergency Recovery Device (ERD) to recover the rescue swimmer. This manual recovery device is only used during the most extreme circumstances and the person being hoisted must be trained and wear a rescue strap.

Without the means to recover Mr. Rubright, low on fuel after spending nearly 2 hours in the air the helicopter crew called for assistance and departed for Atlantic City to seek treatment for the injured rescue swimmer.

The Coast Guard then launched two MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crews from Air Station Atlantic City along with a HU-25 Falcon jet and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from Air Station Cape Cod, Mass. The 270-foot Coast Guard Cutters Northland and Seneca, along with the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Mako were also dispatched to the scene.

At 06:00 on the 29th Sealand Pride reported the wind at 270 at 42 knots, but she was still 39 miles to the south of Free Fall but was making nearly 10 knots where she was only able to make and average of 5.3 knots in the heavy seas that held during the previous 9 hours.

Once on scene at 39.06N – 71.42W she was reported winds that had eased to 27 knots. Two hours later having drifted along with S/V Free Fall she reported a position of 39.06N – 71.36 33 knot winds out of 280 and resumed her voyage.

The Atlantic City helicopter crews were able to relocate the stricken vessels crew and relay the position to the incoming Cape Cod rescue crews.

Upon arriving on scene the Cape Cod helicopter crew recovered Mr. Rubright at around 5AM from the water and flew him to Atlantic City where he was pronounced dead by the Atlantic County Medical Examiner.

A second MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter USCG 6041 from Elizabeth City was dispatched to the scene and hoisted Hogan and Gravie. Rescue operation was completed at 8:15 AM, and Hogan and Gravie were flown to Air Station Atlantic City where they were turned over to local EMS crews and taken to a AtlatiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City for treatment.

Below is video off the second rescue attempt shot from a USCG Doplin helicopter at 1000 AGL. The first part of the video is shot using nightvision and the second part in normal vision.


USGC Video of the second rescue attempt

Both Hogan and Gravie suffered from mild hypothermia, cuts, brusies and in the case of Gravie a possiable concusion but and are reported in good condition.


Hogan (standing) waits for paramedics to transport him to a waiting ambulance.


Emergency personnel transfer Kevin Hogan, 52, to an awaiting ambulance USCG Photo


Teresa Gravie, 44, is transported to a waiting ambulance USCG Photo


USCG Video of the USCG Jayhawk helicopter 6041 landing at Air Station Atlantic City



In addition to the rescue of the sailing vessel Freefall, the Coast Guard is reporting the rescue and assistance of 4 other vessels and and 7 sailors during the October 27 - 29 2008 storms off the east coast.

The death of Mr. Rubright, is tragic and no doubt the USCG will conduct an in depth investigation regarding the chain of events that happened aboard S/V Freefall and during the first rescue attempt.

It's not like the coasties to tell someone to enter the water and then leave the scene. I'm sure the rescue swimmer took one heck of a beating and was severely injured or he would not have left the water without Mr. Rubright.-LFB

Photos of S/V Free Fall a 44 foot Swan US-777 from YachtWorld.com prior to her being sold, the listing has since be removed.