Multiple agencies are still searching for a man who was swept off a boat participating in the Race to Mackinac on Saturday.
53-year-old Jon Santarelli, a Lincoln Park-native, was nearly four miles offshore from Navy Pier on the boat "Imedi" when the incident took place, according to authorities.
Race organizers say that the Coast Guard alerted them to the search at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday aftenroon.
According to a Chicago Yacht Club spokesman, Santarelli was moving to the stern of the ship to make a sail adjustment when a wave knocked him into the water.
"This is an enormous tragedy," the spokesman said.
Santarelli was wearing a self-inflating life vest, according to the spokesman, but it did not function properly.
After Santarelli went into the water, crew members engaged in "man overboard" procedures, throwing him a life preserver and circling the boat around to find him.
All competitors in the vicinity of the incident tried to help find Santarelli, according to race organizers. Nearly 20 boats and three helicopters participated in a search over 45 nautical miles after the incident.
After seven hours, the search was suspended due to darkness. Waves of up to six feet caused issues with the search.
