Yesterday afternoon (20 July) an emergency was reported from the offshore regatta, the Baltic Sprint Cup. During the race’s second leg from Rønne (on the island of Bornholm, Denmark) to Vaestervik (Sweden), the female skipper of German yachtDHH Cross-Match(pictured), Sabine Juettner-Storp, went overboard.

The rescue services were called immediately, and the search is being coordinated by the Danish SAR rescue centre. Apart from a Swedish rescue helicopter and two rescue boats, 15 other yachts from the regatta fleet took part in the search, which was without success when darkness fell.

The second leg of the regatta had started in medium to fresh west-southwesterly winds. At the time of the emergency happened, the sea state to the northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm was moderate with waves of a half to a metre high.

The 12-metre long X-40DHH Cross-Matchis part of the regatta group of the Deutscher Hochseesportverband Hansa (DHH) from Gluecksburg, Germany – and the fleet’s only yacht with an all-female crew of six. The accident is reported to be the result of a tragic link of unfortunate events, when the skipper tried to clear a foresail wrapped around the forestay.

All efforts to locate Luebeck-born Sabine Juettner-Stork after her fall have failed so far. The 54-year old has many years of experience, and it was her second Baltic Sprint Cup.

“The entire race community is deeply shocked”, said event manager Henning Rocholl from Germany, and race director Alan Green from the UK.

For more, visit www.balticsprintcup.com .