Crime & Safety

Giants to Honor Fatal Yacht Crash Victims Tonight

Before taking on the Philadelphia Phillies, Giants will hold moment of silence for victims, including residents of Larkspur, Tiburon and Belvedere.

The San Francisco Giants will honor the victims of Saturday's fatal yacht crash, including Major League Baseball's first-ever "batgirl," prior to tonight's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team spokeswoman said.

Alexis Busch, of Larkspur, is one of four people who remain missing after the yacht they were traveling in crashed near the Farallon Islands shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday.

The body of a fifth sailor, Marc Kasanin, 46, of Belvedere, was recovered after the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the San Francisco Yacht Club.

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The Giants will have a moment of silence prior to the singing of the National Anthem before tonight's 7:15 p.m. game in honor of the sailors, team spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said.

Busch was the first batgirl in MLB history, Slaughter said, was with the team from the 1999 season through 2002 -- meaning she suited up at both Candlestick Park and what was then Pacific Bell Park.

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She later studied stage management for theater at San Francisco State University and in 2008-09 studied sports management at the University of San Francisco.

She founded Lady Baseball, an organization based out of Marin County looking to put women's baseball on the map, according to its website.

Busch is the daughter of former Giants executive vice president Corey Busch, team president and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement released this evening.

"A true baseball fan, she was a passionate and dedicated member of our organization and she will be deeply missed by the Giants family," Baer said.

Kasanin was a local artist who was active throughout the community of Belvedere, the town's vice mayor Sandy Donnell said. His work was recently displayed at the Tiburon Art Festival.

"It's such a close community that it was felt by everybody," Donnell said of the accident. "He was very present throughout the community."

Kasanin had most recently served as a designer and artist for First Class Croatia, a property redevelopment company in Croatia, according to his LinkedIn page.

His activity in the community mirrored that of his mother, Anne, who has served on the town's planning commission and was once named citizen of the year, Donnell said.

Kasanin was part of the eight-person crew of the yacht Low Speed Chase, which was competing in the Full Crew Farallones Race when it met large waves near the Farallon Islands and crashed into the shoreline rocks, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said.

Sailors James Bradford, 41, of Chicago, Bryan Chong, of Tiburon, and Nick Vos, of Sonoma, were rescued from the crash.

The Coast Guard called off the search for the four missing sailors on Sunday. Along with Busch, Alan Cahill, of Tiburon; 25-year-old Kentfield resident Jordan Fromm; and Elmer Morrissey, of Ireland, were also not found after a 30-hour search.

More than 400 people attended a vigil that was held at the SFYC in Belvedere on Sunday night, according to the club.

"The yacht club itself is a very strong community," Donnell said. "The city is certainly willing to be of assistance."

Morrissey had been a fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for nearly a year after moving to the United States from Ireland. Fromm was a marketing and business management student at Dominican University until 2011, according to his LinkedIn page.

The organizers of the America's Cup sailing race released a statement today on the yacht crash.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the deceased," the statement read. "Our thanks go out to the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Guard for their valiant efforts at saving the surviving crew members. As sailors, we are all one family, and our hearts are with those affected and the San Francisco Yacht Club and its members, friends and family."

--Bay City News Service


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