It is with great sadness that World Cruising Club confirms that a 33-year-old sailor was lost overboard from yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday 2 December at 02:27 UTC. The other 14 crew onboard the yacht are safe.

The search was coordinated by MRCC Norfolk USA and involved Ocean Breeze, ARC yacht Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X. Air cover was not possible due to the distance of the incident from land.

With loss of daylight and in worsening seas, MRCC Norfolk ended the active search at 20:45 UTC on Monday. MRCC has requested that all vessels able should amend course to pass through the search area of 20o24.838N 043o11.623W and to keep a sharp lookout for any signs of a person in the water. All ARC yachts have been asked to assist with MRCC’s request.

This area will be amended over time to take account of drift rates and weather conditions. MRCC Norfolk will continue to provide updated coordinates.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the casualty's family and friends and with all the crew members on Ocean Breeze at this unbelievably difficult time.

We thank the skippers and crew of Leaps & Bounds 2 and Project X for diverting to assist in the search.

At the request of the family, World Cruising Club has now redacted the casualty's name.

We have no additional information about the incident and will release further information as it becomes available.