Survivors of the storm that battered Saturday’s Dauphin Island Regatta described a race that turned from a pleasant afternoon sail into a fight for survival within minutes, as a fast-moving system brought waves reported near 10 feet and wind gusts approaching 60 miles per hour to Mobile Bay.
At least one person died and four others remained missing as search crews combed the bay overnight into Sunday. Families of the missing gathered in a makeshift shelter, hoping for news that their loved ones had been found.
Among those who made it back safely were Randy Rutledge and Rhonda Morgan Gilreath, who had traveled from Rome, Georgia, for the race. The pair were roughly 15 minutes from the finish near the Dauphin Island Bridge when conditions deteriorated. Their 23.5-foot boat sank, as did a nearby vessel belonging to friends also from Rome. Gilreath said the waves were unlike anything she had experienced, battering the boat from every direction. The two spent about two hours in the water before rescuers reached them.
Another sailor, Robert Luiten, was aboard a 24-foot boat with a five-person crew, including his 18-year-old son, when the storm overturned the vessel and threw everyone into the bay. Luiten and another crew member were rescued relatively quickly, but it took roughly six hours before his son was located in waters off the north side of Dauphin Island. Two other crew members remained unaccounted for even after the family’s reunion, tempering their relief.
The storm’s reach extended well beyond the racecourse, cutting power to roughly 23,000 customers along the Alabama coast and leaving parts of Dauphin Island dark into the evening. Several competitors described being blown far off course as the system rolled through with little warning.
The 57th annual regatta, an 18-mile race that rotates among Mobile Bay’s yacht clubs each year, has long been considered a rite of spring for area sailors. This year’s edition instead became one of the deadliest days in the event’s history, prompting questions from participants and observers alike about how quickly the weather turned and what warning, if any, boaters received before conditions became dangerous.