RedactedNarrative: Vessel - 1963, 26' Wooden Thunderbird Auxiliary Sailboat w/6 HP Tohatsu Gas Engine 
  
  On 01/11/2014, at about 10:00 a.m., Operator was operating this vessel under sail in Lake Washington about 1000 yards off Sand Point located near Seattle WA in King county. The weather was rough with 3-4 foot swells, 30 knot sustained winds, with 35 knot gusts out of the South. It was raining. The vessel had only a handheld marine VHF and cell phones. 
  
  Due to weather conditions, the boom vang ripped from its mount on the mast but the crew was able to continue to sail without issue. The vessel was rigged for foul weather, with the main sail reefed in and the stormhead jib deployed. The victim, Operator, was at the tiller as the vessel owner/operator. The vessel had intentionally jibed and was in a broad reach when the victim lost his footing and fell overboard on the starboard side. 
  
  Witnesses, were up forward, trimming the sails after the turn and saw him fall. Operator was alert and conscious, swimming with no PFD. PFDs were tossed to him as one witness took the tiller. They circled around and tossed Operator a Lifesling floatation device attached to a line. Operator grabbed it but as the momentum of the vessel tightened the line, it popped free of his grasp. They came back around under sail and tossed in a PFD for him. Operator grabbed the line attached to the Lifesling again and slid back to where the floatation device was located. Again, Operator lost his grip on the device. Witnesses took down the sails and lowered the outboard in an effort to slow the vessel down. As they circled around for a third time they lost sight of Operator. They then called 911 and began a grid search under power for Operator until they were relieved by police rescue units. 
  
  Several hours of searching by USCG and Seattle PD were unsuccessful. 
  
  No injuries / 1 fatality 
  There was evidence of alcohol on board the vessel but it is unknown if the victim had been drinking. 
  There was no vessel damage. 
  The victim was not wearing a PFD. 
  The operator did not have a mandatory Boater Education Card. 
  There were no Rules of the Road Violations. 
  
  UPDATE 2/4/2014 - The deceased body was recovered Wednesday, January 22, 2014, by a Police Harbor Patrol Unit. The victim was found in 165 feet of water with the assistance from an expert operator from SeaBotix using side-scanning sonar. The King County Medical Examiner will be investigating.