Well deserved recognition for the crews of Lodos, Blue and Suquamish for their efforts during the crew overboard event during the Possession Point Race!

The US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to the skipper and crew of the J/111 Lodos who rescued two crew who had fallen off another sailboat in the Possession Point Race on Puget Sound. The captain and crew of the Washington State Ferry Suquamish and sailboat Blue will also receive letters of commendation for their assistance in the successful rescue of both crew members. Read one of the survivor’s accounts of the rescue HERE.

The awards were presented at a ceremony in conjunction with the awards ceremony for the Puget Sound Sailing Championships hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle on October 12, 2025. The medals were awarded to Lodos skippers Tolga Cezik and Rade Trimceski, and crew members John Mason, JJ Hoag, Drew Zangle, and Max Hanson.

The medal and letters of commendation were presented by Corinthian Yacht Club Race Chair Jonathan Anderson, who made the nomination, and Margaret Pommert, V.P. Safety at Sea for The Sailing Foundation and Chair of the US Sailing Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal Committee. The medal was presented on behalf of the officers, directors, and members of US Sailing.

The incident happened on Saturday March 8, 2025, at about 11:00 a.m., during the downwind leg of the Possession Point Race on Puget Sound. The Riptide 41 Blue encountered a 38-knot gust in large waves. The gust overpowered the boat, burying the sprit pole, which in turn damaged and disabled the boat, and spun it to weather. Lifelines were destroyed and two crew on the foredeck fell overboard. The crew on Blue quickly deployed their MOM 8 crew-overboard marking unit and hailed a distress call on VHF channel 16.

Lodos, owned by Cezik and Trimceski, was also competing in the race. At about 11:18 a.m., they saw the yellow inflatable pylon from the MOM 8 and the two crew in the water, about 0.3nm north of them. They immediately left the race, dropped their sails, and went to assist. Other racing boats were already on scene, but had not dropped all their sails, and in the high wind and waves were unable to affect a rescue. 

Lodos deployed their Lifesling man overboard rescue device and made first contact with the two people in the water at about 11:22 a.m., then again about 11:25 a.m., at which time both were pulled carefully to the stern of Lodos. By about 11:27 a.m. both had been pulled aboard by the crew of Lodos. A few minutes later, they were transferred to a local hospital by a Kitsap County Sheriff’s vessel and emergency services. One was suffering from hypothermia, but both made a full recovery.

The US Coast Guard and fellow competitors heard the call and began their response and convergence on the incident location as well. The ferry Suquamish heard the “Mayday” call from Blue and diverted from their regular Edmonds-Kingston run to assist. They placed their large ferry upwind from the two people in the water, which blocked the wind and reduced the wave state to enable safe reboarding onto Lodos.

The Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is awarded to any person who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other perils at sea within the territorial waters of the United States, or as part of a sailboat race or voyage that originated or stopped in the U.S. The medal was established in 1990 by friends of the late Mr. Hanson, an ocean-racing sailor from the Chesapeake Bay, with the purpose of recognizing significant accomplishments in seamanship and collecting case studies of rescues for analysis by the Safety at Sea Committee of US Sailing for use in educational and training programs. Any individual or organization may submit a nomination for a Hanson Rescue Medal.

Visit the US Sailing Hanson Rescue Medal website for more information about these awards, including nomination form instructions and guidelines.