Nöbetçi Eczaneler
The International Ocean Safety Award is annually presented for a supreme maritime rescue, a significant advancement in rescue technology, or an individual/organization’s dedication to promoting safety at sea.
The 2026 recipient was the U.S. Coast Guard East District, which oversees the mid-Atlantic region, for the successful rescue of five crew members from the 54-foot catamaran Magic Bus, 260 nautical miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C., in a force 8-9 gale on November 6, 2025.
The rescue occurred during an 1,100-mile migration voyage from Long Island Sound, Connecticut, to sunnier climes in the Bahamas which many yachts undertake at the start of the winter.
Magic Bus had an experienced delivery crew on board, and the forecast predicted 20-knot fair winds for much of the voyage. It should have been a fast, stable passage for this 20-year-old South African-built multihull.
But one day out, the crew discovered the port engine compartment had flooded, and used buckets, hand pumps, and electric pumps to stem the flow. They even utilized the starboard engine intake, running a temporary hose between the two compartments to increase the combined pumping capacity to 5,000 gallons per hour. It was all to no avail.
Then, in the middle of the night, all hell broke loose. The working jib sheet parted with a bang. Moments later, the lazy sheet, whipping around uncontrollably, caught the corner of the saloon hatch and ripped it clean off the deck. Water was now pouring in from above and below the waterline.
Sitting at home, Magic Bus owner Brandon Flack had already been alerted to the hull leak via a sat phone link with the boat and was busy trying to troubleshoot the problem. At 03:30, skipper Buster Pike called again to say that they were abandoning ship.
Disturbingly, the crew had been unable to raise the US Coast Guard. The catamaran did not have an SSB radio, so they tried to initiate a PAN-PAN call via VHF radio an hour before abandoning the boat. It didn’t have the range to reach other vessels in the region, let alone the shore.
They then tried calling the Coast Guard using their mobile phones through the boat’s Starlink router. They searched the Coast Guard website for a number, only to find themselves on an automated voice response system with endless prompts for different departments. The one they chose led to an ‘Out of Office message. Ironically, they couldn’t even send an email because the website was unmanned – the result of a government close-down!
Pike had to ask his owner to alert the Coast Guard moments before they abandoned ship – which Flack did by dialing the US general emergency 911 phone number. – Read on
Source: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2026/11/08/supreme-maritime-rescue-recognized/
