A 43-year-old crew member drowned after falling overboard during a sailing race and her fellow crew members were unable to recover her back on board.
The accident took place in October 2022 when Elizabeth Wood fell overboard during a spinnaker hoist from the Andrew Cassell Foundation Sonar class keelboat LimbItless during a race off Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.
Now, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is being told it should review the definition of the term ‘Pleasure Vessel’ to clarify that vessels operated by organisations and charities to take vulnerable adults and children afloat do not fall within the scope of that definition.
Greater regulation of associations is also proposed.
While the keelboat quickly returned to Elizabeth’s location in the water, the crew were unable to recover her from the water, stated the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report into the accident.
Mayday call
A Mayday call was broadcast and crews of three other vessels helped to recover Elizabeth who had been in the water for 20 minutes and was unconscious.
Despite resuscitation being administered, she could not be revived.
Elizabeth had been wearing a correctly fitting lifejacket and appropriate sailing clothing. It is not known how Elizabeth fell overboard. She had postural instability and her probable positioning as the spinnaker was hoisted put her at risk of toppling.
The MAIB report found that the activity’s risk assessment was incomplete as it did not consider how individuals who had fallen overboard would be recovered from the water.
The vessel’s suitability as a platform to support Elizabeth in her sailing had been questioned by other volunteers, with the decision made that it provided a suitable platform as it was less likely to capsize than a dinghy.
Insufficiently trained
The keelboat’s cockpit also offered a more contained environment than that of many yachts.
In addition, the crew were insufficiently trained and practised in the recovery of a person overboard and the Andrew Cassell Foundation did not have an effective method of recovering Elizabeth from the water and she died through drowning.
Following the accident, the Foundation has made changes to its organisation, training, risk assessments and documentation.
The Foundation has also procured a bespoke vessel to act as a safety boat when necessary and joined the Royal Yachting Association Sailability scheme.
The Andrew Cassell Foundation was established by Andrew Cassell as a charity foundation to enable disabled sailors to race with and against non-disabled crews in an inclusive and equal environment.
