79 foot sailboat

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• Event Details

Follow the refurbishing process below

• Watch the Video

The refurbishing process of X-79 number 1

In the early Summer of 2018, Birger Hansen and Lars Jeppesen picked up the very first model of X-79 on Jersey in the UK. The boat was a gift to X-Yachts Headquarters from the UK Dealer of X-Yachts, Conor Fanning.

During the Autumn of 2018, the refurbishing process of the exterior was started up by Birger. In 2019, Birger finished his work on the exterior and in 2021, he started the refurbishment of the Interior. It was very important to Birger, that the boat would appear with the exact same exterior as well as interior. The boat had to be restored exactly as it was back in 1979.

In January 2022, Birger finished the full refurbishment of the X-79 no. 1 and the boat appears in the exact same condition as when it was built 43 years ago.

Birger has put all his strength into revitalizing this unique piece of history. Below, you can follow all the steps of the whole process.

We want to thank all the partners who have contributed to the refurbishment:

• Awlgrip colour paint for hull and deck.
• Blocks, genoa cars, jammers, genoa tracks, traveller etc.
• Mast, boom and rig preperation.
• Interior woodwork, lists, floorboards and varnish.
• Primer and antifouling

Januar 2022 - Full refurbishment

November & December 2021 - Interior refurbishment

6th May 2019: Application of antislip on deck

3rd April 2019: Painting of deck

March 2019, second layer of primer

25th March 2019: Freeboard, water lines and transom now painted

February 2019, first priming

February 2019, before painting process

January & February 2019, grinding and honing

November & December 2018, preparing, cleaning and filling out holes

Summer 2018, picking up the boat on Jersey

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Sailboat specifications

• Last update: 3rd April 2020

X-79's main features

X-79's main dimensions, x-79's rig and sails, x-79's performances, x-79's auxiliary engine, x-79's accommodations and layout, x-79's saloon.

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Review of X-79

Basic specs.

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case X-79 will typically require a power of 3 - 4 hp, alternatively 71 - 85 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for X-79 is 2.48, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for X-79 is about 123 kg/cm, alternatively 691 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 123 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 691 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

What is Relative Speed Performance?

Maintenance

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for X-79 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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• Sailboat Guide

X-79 is a 26 ′ 1 ″ / 8 m monohull sailboat designed by Niels Jeppesen and built by X-Yachts between 1979 and 1994.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

The X-79 was the first boat built by X-Yachts. Thanks to Paul Keller for providing updated information.

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• About Sailboat Guide

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The X 79 is a 26.12ft fractional sloop designed by Niels Jeppesen and built in fiberglass by X-Yachts between 1979 and 1994.

468 units have been built..

The X 79 is a light sailboat which is a very high performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat.

X 79 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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SPECIFICATIONS

21 feet 6 inches, fuel capacity:, 3200 gallons, fresh water capacity:, 425 gallons, (2) 30kw northern lights, drivetrain:, (2) 16v mtu m96l 2635hp engines , seakeeper 35, interior layout:, 4 staterooms, 4 head layout w/ a tackle room, zf3070a transmission, seastar optimus power steering, dometic sea xchange reverse osmosis watermaker & spot zero, dometic eskimo ice machines, dometic chiller system and air handlers, bausch towers, rupp outriggers, release trillion helm chair & unlimited fighting chair, in production gallery.

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This New 79-Foot Sailing Catamaran Is Like a Pied-à-Terre for the High Seas

The six-stateroom "spirit of ponant" will debut in corsica this summer., rachel cormack.

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Ponant is returning to its roots in small-ship cruising.

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Candela and polestar’s first electric foiling boat was just delivered—and it’s a stunner, uber is letting riders book private yachts and water limos in europe.

Based on Lagoon’s Seventy 7 model, the newcomer was built in Bordeaux, France. The cat features six generous staterooms for up to 12 guests and cabins for four crew. Ponant says seafarers can expect personalized service, including a private chef, tailored activities, and other high-end touches.

 “The concept and design of this Lagoon Seventy 7 yacht has been praised by everyone in the industry, won over by the spacious interior and exterior areas,” Guillaume Le Brec, the experienced skipper in charge of this project at Ponant, said in a statement. “Guests will really appreciate the high-end finishings as much as her exceptional sailing qualities.” 

Furthermore, the itineraries are completely customizable, too. The inaugural seven-night roundtrip voyages from Bonifacio can be tweaked to the traveler’s interests, with the captain offering recommendations. After a stint in Corsica, Spirit of Ponant will cruise around Mahé, a.k.a. the largest island in the Seychelles archipelago, for the winter season.

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Video of the rescue provided by the U.S. Coast Guard.

U.S. Coast Guard press release:

MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. —Coast Guard crews from McKinleyville and North Bend, Oregon, rescued six people from their 79-foot sailboat Saturday, approximately 80 miles west of Crescent City. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received a VHF distress call at 3:45 p.m. from the crew of the sailboat Barlovento reporting the boat was disabled, taking on water and had a person aboard with a head and arm injury in approximately 60 mile-per-hour winds and 20-foot seas.   Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27J Spartan fixed-wing crew to provide air support and a Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.   The Dolphin crew arrived on scene and hoisted the injured person from the Barlovento and transported the person to local emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay.   With the Barlovento expected to lose power, Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders requested additional air support from a Coast Guard Air Station North Bend MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.   The Sector Humboldt Bay Dolphin crew returned to the scene and hoisted three people from the Barlovento and the Air Station North Bend Dolphin crew arrived on scene and hoisted the remaining two people. All survivors were transported to Sector Humboldt Bay.   “This case was a great example of a successful, multi-unit effort and highlights the importance of standardized procedures,” said Lt. Ryan O’Neill, a Dolphin aircraft commander at Sector Humboldt Bay. “The careful coordination between the two helicopters with support from the C-27 allowed us to save all six sailors.” Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders issued a broadcast to mariners regarding the abandoned Barolvento and requested that mariners transit the area with caution.

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Vessel Abandoned off Crescent City after USCG Rescue

We received word from delivery skipper Arnstein Mustad, who is on a delivery north to Seattle, that the USCG was broadcasting a security alert to mariners regarding an abandoned sailboat drifting approximately 100nm west of Crescent City, CA. At 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, USCG Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received a VHF distress call from the crew of the 79-ft sailboat, Barlovento. The crew reported that their boat was disabled, taking on water, and that one crewmember had sustained a head and arm injury. The boat was around 80 miles offshore in approximately 60 mph winds and 20-ft seas.

The rescue was enacted by a Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27J Spartan fixed-wing crew providing air support.

According to the USCG, the Dolphin crew arrived on the scene and hoisted the injured person from the Barlovento and transported the person to local emergency medical services personnel at USCG Sector Humboldt Bay.

The Dolphin crew then returned to the scene and hoisted three more people from the Barlovento. The Air Station North Bend Dolphin crew arrived on scene and hoisted the remaining two people.

Lt. Ryan O’Neill, a Dolphin aircraft commander at Sector Humboldt Bay, said, “This case was a great example of a successful, multi-unit effort and highlights the importance of standardized procedures. The careful coordination between the two helicopters with support from the C-27 allowed us to save all six sailors.”

Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders have issued a broadcast to mariners regarding the abandoned Barlovento and requested that mariners transit the area with caution.

USCG Pacific Southwest shared this video on its Twitter page :

#BREAKING #USCG crews rescue 6 people after their 79-foot sailing vessel began taking on water approximately 80 miles west of Crescent City, CA., Saturday. pic.twitter.com/261ZQBlo2q — USCGPacificSouthwest (@USCGPacificSW) June 20, 2021

10 Comments

Well Done! 60 mph and 20ft seas! Heroes all of you, thanks for saving so many! https://coastguardfoundation.org/ways-to-give/donate-directly

Great job by the USCG. More info on the Barlovento? Inquiring minds what to know:)

More info on the vessel – https://www.northropandjohnson.com/yachts-for-sale/barloventoii-72-abekingrasmussen

Info from Williamp is not the same boat.

Excellent job in tough conditions. Congratulations to all the Coast Guard folks who made it happen. Aircrew, maintenance personnel, operations people etc. When everything works like this it’s no coincidence. It is the result of relentless training, discipline and of course courage.

It appears Barlovento was built for the Du Pont family and had a dual-daggerboard setup. I don’t know if this causes extra risk to water ingress.

https://www.northropandjohnson.com/yachts-for-sale/barloventoii-72-abekingrasmussen

As a delivery captain, who takes boats around Cape Mendocino 5-10 times per year, I have to wonder why a 79ft boat was 60 miles offshore!!?!? My regards and respect to the rescue crews, who had to fly those long distances!!! The bouy at Mendocino is 5 miles out. There is NO reason to be more than 8 miles out.

Michael Kunes, surely you’ve headed South and contrary winds won’t allow you make any southing? A long time ago I crewed on a 65′ gaff schooner on a trip from Puget Sound to San Francisco when a weather system gave us a good hard blow from the southwest for several days. We made the best course we could but ended up 200 miles offshore before the weather system moved on and let us set a course down the coast. But as a delivery skipper, I would imagine that you’re talking about doing that sort of passage under power, right?

So sad. I used to race against the Barlovento and have sailed on her as well. Beautiful schooner. I am glad that no lives were lost.

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Coast Guard rookie has a stormy start to his career, saving the crew of a sinking sailboat

Spencer Manson, a Petty Officer 3rd Class with the U.S. Coast Guard, got a baptism of fire on his first mission when he and his team were called to rescue a sinking sailboat some 90 miles off the coast of California.

See above for the moment the U.S. Coast Guard plucked the crew of a sinking vessel from the raging ocean.  

In winds of almost 60mph, the 79-foot schooner was being swamped by 20-foot waves. Unable to steer the vessel, the six people on board sent out a distress signal. One of the crew had a suspected broken arm and head injury, and all of them were in mortal danger.

Arriving on the scene by helicopter, Spencer, a rescue swimmer only recently qualified as an Aviation Survival Technician, was immediately lowered into the churning seas. Swimming for the boat, he grabbed hold of a trailing line and hauled himself on board. Grasping the first frightened victim, he strapped her into the rescue basket, and she was hoisted up to the safety of the chopper overhead.

It took multiple trips and a second helicopter crew to complete the rescue. But thanks to the Coast Guard's heroics, all six people on the stricken vessel escaped with their lives. 

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• Military Affairs

Tougher-than-nails Coast Guard rescue swimmers describe daring rescues

• By Hope Seck
• April 23, 2024

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Special operations forces may get a disproportionate share of the attention when it comes to grueling training and the ability to act with precision in terrifying situations. 

But the U.S. Coast Guard has a small and elite contingent of rescuers that could easily contend for the title of grittiest of them all. There are only about 350 Coast Guard rescue swimmers in all. Technically known as aviation survival technicians (ASTs), because their job involves jumping from helicopters – often into freezing ocean water, and sometimes in storms – these rescuers save people no one else can reach. Up to 100 Coasties each year begin the 24-week training course , and historically more than half don’t make the cut. Some sources say that AST courses have sometimes had an attrition rate of 85 percent , which would make the course comparable to the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, with its average attrition of 68 percent .

While Coast Guard rescue swimmers got the Hollywood treatment in the 2006 action film The Guardian , it’s fairly rare to hear the swimmers themselves describe their critical saves.

But last December, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Spencer T. Manson received the Distinguished Flying Cross, an award reserved for acts of heroism in aviation, for saving six people from a disabled schooner off the California-Oregon Coast. Here is his story, and two others, that provide a glimpse into the fearless work of Coast Guard rescue swimmers.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘I can’t let go”’

When the distress call came in to Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay in the afternoon of June 19, 2021, conditions were troubling. The 79-foot sailboat Barlovento was stuck and taking on water some 80 miles off the coast, and one of the six passengers aboard was injured, with a broken arm and a head injury. On top of that, conditions were choppy: winds were whipping around the boat at nearly 60 miles per hour, and waves were topping 20 feet.

It was Spencer Manson’s first rescue, and he knew what he had to do.

In light of the injured passenger onboard and the water seeping onto the boat, “it was important to respond as quickly as possible,” he said in a Coast Guard video released in December 2023.

The rescue range was a challenge for the Coast Guard’s MH-65 Dolphin helicopters. As aircraft commander Lt. Ryan O’Neill put it, “everything had to go right.”

When the chopper arrived on scene, Manson clocked several ropes dragging behind the schooner, which looked tiny amid the high waves. Lowered from the aircraft to the water on a rope, Manson disconnected himself from the line ensuring his safety, and reached the boat, taking hold of the trailing ropes and holding on for all he was worth.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘I can’t let go; we don’t have time for that,'” he said in the video. “I knew I only had a few minutes to get the patient, get in the water, swim to the basket, and get out of there.”

The mission went exactly as it needed to go. Manson loaded up the injured woman and rode with her in the basket up to the helicopter. A second chopper arrived on scene, along with a C-27J Spartan turboprop aircraft. Together, they plucked the remaining passengers from the water one by one and returned to home station to treat them.

“They make it hard for a reason,” he said of his AST training. “They let the people who they know aren’t going to give up get through. because you’re going to be in situations where you can’t give up. You have to make it happen.”

Related: Coast Guard saves huge Goonies fan who had stolen yacht

‘That baby was not going anywhere’

Aviation Survival Technician Third Class Tyler Gantt was another brand-new rescue swimmer in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey brought devastating flooding to Houston, Texas. But he wasn’t about to reveal that to the stranded and scared Texans who waited on rooftops for him to come pick them up.

“I had people asking me, ‘You’ve done this before, right?'” Gantt recalled in a 2023 interview with Fox 26 Houston.

He tried to keep his response laid-back.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been to a ton of hurricanes that hit major cities. This was just another Tuesday,” he said of the impression he gave. “But actuality, like, this is insane.”

Gantt was the first rescue swimmer deployed to the Houston disaster zone. During one night, he braved torrential rain and winds of more than 90 miles per hour to save a critically ill pregnant woman who was trapped in her attic. He had to descend more than 150 feet from an MH-65 helicopter through a small opening between active power lines to rescue the woman and her family one by one in the punishing conditions.

In the TV interview, though, Gantt described another rescue. In this case, a man wading through fast-moving water and holding an infant in his arms tripped or lost his balance, losing control of the infant. Gantt, who saw everything happen from the rooftop he was standing on, immediately jumped into the water, grabbing the baby before it could be carried off.

“There was never a time in my life where I have not wanted to drop something so badly,” Gantt said. “That baby was not going anywhere. I was holding on so tight.”

Ultimately, Gantt was credited with rescuing 59 people during his Houston mission. In December 2019, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his “extraordinary heroism.”

Related: Coast Guard boot camp: Everything you need to know

‘They realized they had all just survived the worst day of their life’

For Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Richard Hoefle, 2022 was a landmark year for lives saved. That year, the New Orleans-based rescue swimmer participated in four different rescues dramatic enough to make headlines, including one that the Coast Guard would nickname “Sharknado.”

This rescue was deadly serious: In October 2022, the Coast Guard was alerted to the case of three fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico who’d departed from Venice, Louisiana, but failed to return home. Their vessel had sunk, leaving them in the water waiting for rescue and fending off aggressive sharks who shredded their life vests and left them with bites that cut to the bone. The men had been in the water for more than 24 hours when one was finally able to send out a text message with their location, allowing the Coast Guard to reach them.

Hoefle deployed for the rescue along with a fixed-wing C-27 out of Corpus Christi, Texas. 

“After we had hoisted the first person, they had all been separated in the water, so they didn’t know if their buddies had survived or not,” Hoefle said in a Coast Guard video released in 2023. “When the first survivor saw the second survivor come into the aircraft, I got to see a sense of joy and relief. And when the basket went down again, and his next buddy came into the aircraft, I got to see that sense of joy and satisfaction.

“They realized they had all just survived the worst day of their life.”

Related: These are the Coast Guard’s special operations forces

Hoefle’s other 2022 rescues included “The Thanksgiving Miracle,” a November 26 rescue in which he recovered a passenger who’d fallen overboard from the Carnival Cruise Ship Valor and had fought to survive for four hours without any flotation device.

“As I swam up to the survivor, I handed him the rescue sling and he collapsed into it,” Hoefle said. “I honestly think that he had a minute if not 30 seconds left before he succumbed to his battle.” 

The same year, he also conducted two rescues of helicopter crash survivors. One of these rescues, on October 26, would earn him the prestigious Air Medal . The crash, 75 miles southwest of Air Station New Orleans, involved two injured survivors aboard the overturned wreckage of a crashed helicopter at night, the water around them filled with toxic fuel and hydraulic fluid. Meanwhile, the helicopter Hoefle rode in was getting low on fuel. Without concern for his own safety, Hoefle decided to enter the slick and hazardous water twice, sustaining injuries in the process. 

But the rescue was a success: both passengers were safely evacuated to the helicopter, where Hoefle administered medical care. 

“That’s why I joined the service. I wanted to help people,” Hoefle said in the Coast Guard video. “When you get to bring a mom or dad back to their family, that’s why we do this.”

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Coast Guardsman to Receive Distinguished Flying Cross for Daring Vessel Boarding and Rescue

The mariners aboard the 79-foot schooner Barlovento were in trouble on June 19, 2021. The yacht was nearly 80 miles off the California-Oregon coast, disabled and taking on water in 20-foot seas.

In the churn, a crew member suffered a broken arm and possible head injury. With no hope of sailing to safe harbor in 60-mph winds, the six aboard reached for their radio, issuing a distress signal.

At 3:45 p.m., watchstanders with U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay picked up the call and immediately dispatched the crew of MH-65 Dolphin CG6565, along with a C-27J Spartan aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, to the scene.

Read Next: Devastating Tornadoes in Tennessee Displace 250 Army Families at Fort Campbell, Service Says

During a normal at-sea rescue, the short-range MH-65 helicopter's rescue swimmer, Aviation Survival Technician 2nd Class Spencer Manson, would have been lowered directly to the vessel, taking care to avoid masts and lines, and maneuver a basket to hoist out the injured crew member.

What transpired that day, however, was anything but normal. And on Tuesday, for the work he did that day, Manson will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross -- the highest aviation medal that can be awarded for non-combat operations.

"This case was a great example of a successful, multi-unit effort and highlights the importance of standardized procedures. The careful coordination between the two helicopters with support from the C-27 allowed us to save all six sailors," Lt. Ryan O'Neill, a Dolphin aircraft commander at Sector Humboldt Bay, said in a statement at the time.

After figuring out that they couldn't deploy Manson onto or even near the vessel, the Dolphin crew lowered him 150 feet downwind of the Barlovento.

As the boat flew past Manson at roughly 9 knots, the swimmer grabbed a line trailing behind the ship and hung on, eventually getting enough grip to pull himself hand over hand, through waves and wake, to reach the vessel. He then climbed aboard, but not before he was pitched up and down and slammed onto the sea's surface several times, according to Manson's award citation.

Manson was able to prepare the injured crew member for rescue, jump with her into the 49-degree water, and swim to an awaiting basket to be hoisted into the helicopter.

After the crew transported the patient to land and refueled, the members went back out to save those remaining, with Manson creating an "innovative, sliding-deployment technique" that let him hang off the boat and help the crew members jump into the water to be rescued.

He saved three more people in that manner before handing over the job to a fellow rescue swimmer from Coast Guard Sector North Bend.

For his "actions, skill and heroism," Manson will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony Tuesday at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay in California.

"His courage, judgment and devotion to duty in the face of hazardous conditions are most heartily commended," his citation states.

The last Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to a rescue swimmer was given in 2021 to Aviation Survival Technician 3rd Class Jack Kelly for a nighttime rescue of a hiker who had plunged 100 feet off a cliff into the Rouge River in Oregon.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the circumstances under which a Distinguished Flying Cross may be awarded.

Related: Crew That Delivered Baby Mid-Flight from Afghanistan Will Receive Distinguished Flying Cross

Patricia Kime

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