Coast Guard suspends search for two French sailors after cargo schooner sinks

Sea weather was fair more than a week after the 90-foot sailing schooner De Gallant departed Santa Marta, Colombia for Europe carrying a cargo of coffee, cocoa and cane sugar. But tragedy loomed on the horizon.

The crew of the De Gallant, part of a French company that ships products by sail to avoid burning fossil fuels, ran into a sudden and violent storm 20 miles north of Great Inagua, near the Bahamas. The vessel began taking on water. The crew of French sailors scrambled into yellow survival suits and into life rafts, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Two female crew members, however, were missing. 

On Thursday, two days after rescuing six of eight crew members in rafts floating amid a field of the sunken ship’s debris, the Coast Guard said it had called off the search for the two women after scouring 3,700 square miles with planes, helicopters and ships.

“It is with heavy hearts we offer our sincere condolences to the families and crew that lost these two mariners,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Lindsey Seniuk, who coordinated the search and rescue mission. “When we send our rescue crews out, it is with great hope we can bring people home safely, which is why suspending this case is one of the hardest decisions our personnel make. We are grateful we were able to bring home the six survivors and thankful for the assistance of our partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.”

The Blue Schooner sail cargo company, which operated the vessel, did not release the names of any of the surviving crew or the missing women.

Since 2017, Blue Schooner has offered “a carbon-free solution to any producer or shipper concerned about their environmental footprint.” according to its website. Except for port maneuvers, the ship did not use fossil fuel, with on-board electricity provided by solar panels.

It’s among several companies, such as Shipped by Sail, that in recent years have adopted wind power, including on older ships, to transport products such as boutique coffees for sellers seeking to avoid the carbon emissions of typical cargo ships. 

The De Gallant, a Vanuatu-flagged schooner, was a “well-proven vessel piloted by licensed professional sailors,” Blue Schooner said in a statement.

But the incident also highlighted the potential dangers that any ship can encounter at sea.

Blue Schooner noted that the weather had been fairly calm before the ship ran into trouble. A tracking map on the company’s website showed the vessel had previously traveled between Cuba and Haiti on its way north.

The Coast Guard said it first received distress notifications early Tuesday morning from personal locator beacons. About two hours later, around 8 a.m., a Coast Guard helicopter crew located two life rafts with the six French nationals and hoisted them to safety, said Petty Officer First Class Diana Sherbs, a Coast Guard spokeswoman in Miami.

They were taken to the Coast Guard Air Station in Miami and found in good health before being met by French diplomatic representatives and returned to France.

Blue Schooner officials had been hopeful that warm water temperatures and clear weather would help the missing crew survive and be found. But on Thursday the company said the lack of any signs during the search forced them to consider the “worst outcome.”

“It is an upheaval for the company, the maritime community and that of sailing transport in particular, which are losing sailors and above all exceptional humans,” the company said in a statement.

The exact circumstances of the sinking were still being examined.

“The first information we have indicates an unforeseen meteorological phenomenon, extremely sudden and violent when the ship was underway in mild conditions. This would have led to its capsizing and then its loss at a depth of more than 2,000 meters,” according to Blue Schooner.

Whether the incident will have any impact on sail cargo businesses is unclear.

The De Gallant’s owners called the incident “a reminder of the dangers of navigation and the seafaring profession.”

Chris Kenning is a national correspondent for USA TODAY. Contact him at ckenning@usatoday.com or on X @chris_kenning.