Warning to secure retractable keels
An investigation into the death of a disabled sailor on Lake Windermere has led to a warning to secure retractable keels and centreboards.
Stephen Hague, 57, was sailing with a Blackwell Sailing instructor on 12 June 2019 when their RS Venture Connect (VC) capsized after being knocked down in gusty winds. The boat’s liftable keel retracted back into the hull, causing the boat to invert completely, trapping Hague. The instructor swam clear but was unable to right the boat without the help of the safety boat crew.
A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report has revealed that the boat’s weighted keel had not been secured with the Velcro keel restraining strap, and that Blackwell Sailing instructors involved in the rigging or use of the boat weren’t aware of the strap’s function or importance.
The requirement to secure the keel strap was also not included in the owner’s manual supplied by RS Sailing, but was included in the RS VC’s Rigging Guide, available to download from the firm’s website.
RS Sailing has since contacted RS VC owners to highlight the importance of the keel restraining strap, supplied warning stickers, included a hard copy of the rigging guide with every new purchase, retrofitted new yellow Velcro strap and separate keel pins to boats and supplied free masthead floats.
The report also highlighted that a “total inversion of the boat, with the resulting dangers to its crew, had not been identified as a risk and so the safety boat crew were insufficiently prepared”. Blackwell Sailing’s risk assessments were also “rudimentary and incomplete”. It was annually inspected by the RYA to achieve RYA Recognised Training Centre status, although the centre’s Sailability activities were not reviewed.
Blackwell Sailing has since reviewed its risk management systems, and staff and volunteers have received training. The RYA is recommended to improve support to Sailability centres. It has already issued a guidance note on procedures and drills for recovering a ‘self-righting’ boat. Inspectors have also had further training.