Crew 'heartbroken' over deaths during boat race

Survivors from a boat that overturned in Lake Michigan during the annual Chicago-to-Mackinac race say they're heartbroken that their skipper and another crew member died but are grateful to their rescuers. The 35-foot sailboat WingNuts capsized around midnight Sunday during a fierce storm about 13 miles northwest of Charlevoix. Skipper Mark Morley and crew member Suzanne Bickel died. Both were from Saginaw. A vessel called Sociable rescued six others from WingNuts.

AP Wire

Jul 18, 2011

In a statement Monday, the survivors said they knew the storm was coming. They had dropped the main sail and clipped on their safety lines.

But their boat was knocked over by a 75-mph gust. The survivors said they unfastened their lines, clung to the overturned hull and signaled for help. Morley and Bickel could not free themselves.