Mark Morley (left) & Suzanne Bickel (right) were killed during Chicago to Mackinac Sailboat races.
/ 7&4 News
Update: July 18th 1:20 p.m.
The crew members, killed in a sailboat accident, have been identified as 51-year-old skipper Mark Morley and 41-year-old Suzanne Bickel. Both are from Saginaw. The race website reports that Morley had 44 years of sailing experience, including six Chicago Mackinacs. Bickel had sailed in two previous Chicago-Mackinac races.
Commodore Joseph S. Haas states, "On the behalf of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, the Board of Directors and Flag Officers, we express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the crew of "WingNuts." The crew of this boat exemplified the spirit of the Chicago Mac that is steeped in tradition of family, friends and passion for the water."
Update: July 18th, 11:35 a.m.
The race website reports divers found the two missing crew members around 8:45 a.m. Monday. Their names are being withheld as they notify family members.
Update: July 18th, 11:10 a.m.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the two missing boaters were found dead. The names of those boaters are not yet being released. NBC25 is investigating this story, and will continue to have updates here and on NBC25 News at 6:00 p.m.
Below is an interactive map of the approximate location where the ship capsized:
Update: July 18th, 10:30 a.m.
The Associated Press reports the two missing boaters have been found "unresponsive." No word yet on whether they are alive.
Two Mid-Michigan residents are missing, after their sailboat capsized during the Chicago-to-Mackinac Island sailboat race.
NBC25's sister stations, 7&4 News & Wood TV8, reports the U.S. Coast Guard was notified early Monday that the sailboat "WingNuts" capsized near Charlevoix. Six people were rescued by a passing boat, but two remain missing.
While crews aren't releasing the names of the two missing people, the race's website lists the following people as the passangers on board the WingNuts:
•Christopher (C.J.) Cummings, 16, of Grandville, Mich.
•Stuart Morley of Midland, Mich.
•Peter Morley Jr. of Midland, Mich.
•Stanton Dent of Midland, Mich.
•Mark Morley of Saginaw, Mich.
•Suzanne Bickel of Saginaw, Mich.
•John Dent of Ann Arbor, Mich.
•Lee Purcell Chicago , IL
Boats and a helicopter crews are still searching for the missing people.
