One Dead in Bizarre Accident Aboard Yacht Off Gran Canaria

[iabmatos]

All,

Please read the article. There is not much information released yet, but I'm interested in your comments regarding the safety issues related to mast climbing.


https://www.maritime-executive.com/a...f-gran-canaria


My condolences to the family and friends of the victim.


Regards,


Ismael

[Shrew]

Unfortunately, there are no relevant details in the article. There's not much to discuss here. No answers, only questions.

[wholybee]

I have gone aloft underway once, in fair conditions. To repair a VHF antenna broken by birds and tangled into my windex, rendering both inoperable. I would be very hesitant to do that again, unless it was a real emergency.

I imaging that rescuers have little to no training on how to safely go aloft on a sailboat. It sounds like they couldn't even safely board the sailboat. That is unfortunate, as whatever the injury was could probably have been treated before he fell.

[iabmatos]

Hi Shrew,

I understand they may not release more details before proper investigation of the accident.


I'm asking about general safety issues related to mast climbing, such as gear, techniques, and the little things that make a big difference in situations like that when you need (or must not) to go up the mast to fix something in rough seas.


Cheers,


Ismael

[dannc]

On the Morgans Cloud website a few articles on going aloft have been published lately, with more to come. The first article is https://www.morganscloud.com/2022/11...e-mast-part-1/. It is behind a paywall but well worth it.

The information in the articles, and the discussions, have been most educational.

Later,
Dan

[leecea]

I watched a YouTuber attempting to go up the mast in dodgy conditions (can't remember which one) and it looked awful. He was hanging onto the rigging and mast trying not to get smashed into hard objects. Of course it gets worse as you get higher, and he was getting tired. Around 2/3 of the way up he was done - then he had to deal with the trip down while exhausted.

First thing that struck me was he had no helmet.

[Franziska]

Helmet, harness and some sort of padded jacket (like bike riders use) would be essential. As well as some safety line, a descender and a knife.

Not sure what the poor guy in the article had. Most likely it was not an easy decision to go up the mast.

I once had to do it while solo sailing off the Italian coast.
Weather forecast was speaking about a Bora wind possibly coming up and a small pice of sail track parted from the mast high up, effectively preventing the headboard cars coming down.

While the Bora does not hit quite as hard on the Italian side it can get pretty windy there too and wind and waves are onshore then.
Glad in the end the wind did not come.

Luckily it was calm, so I took my chances. Would not want to get stuck in a possible Bora storm with an unreefable main up.

Another reason could be a stuck mainsail furler...

The investigation may tell us more.

Rest in peace, fellow sailor. Sorry you had to go in such a terrible way.

[boatman61]

That's why mast steps are the best method of going aloft, along with a safety line as opposed to a free swinging bosuns chair or harness.. required tools in a belt.

[skipperpete]

That’s a horrible way to die, so sad.

[Networker]

I’d be too chicken to climb up there. Would rather cut sheets and halyards if I had to vs go up and untangle. They could have motored back given their location if they cut their sail away. I’m a chicken sailor.

[dannc]

The articles and discussions on Morgan's Cloud, that I mentioned earlier, https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3731876, have been an education. Anyone who goes aloft, or thinks they might need too, should pay the pittance to join Morgan's Cloud and read the articles. And reread them.

One really needs to think about a bunch of details before going aloft and look at one's equipment. For example, some of the climbing harnesses used in industrial practice might be good for going up a mast, or not. The type of rope used to go aloft as is also critical. Which knots to use and not use. The equipment to use, and how to use the equipment is important and not obvious.

Parts of the article on going up the mast, https://www.morganscloud.com/2023/01...e-mast-at-sea/ are not behind a paywall.

First off, we need to clearly understand that going up the mast at sea is one of the most challenging and dangerous tasks a sailor will ever be called upon to do.

I can't overemphasize this. We can go up the mast hundreds of times when the boat is at rest in smooth water with a system that works perfectly for our needs, and still be totally unprepared for going up at sea when the mast will be swung through a huge arc by swell, even on the calmest days.

This is only small part of the article:

Just imagine for a moment that the boat is rolling 10 degrees (not much at all) either way and the masthead is 60 feet above the water.

That means that the mast will be swinging through a distance of nearly 21 feet (6.5 meters) on each swell.

Wait, it gets worse. Say the wave period is 5 seconds, which is quite typical offshore in light to moderate weather. Then we will swing through that full arc—assuming no damping, more on that in a minute—at an average speed of 4.2 feet/second.

I know, that does not sound too bad, after all it's only 2.8 miles per hour, but wait, it gets worse again...much worse. Every 5 seconds we will be decelerated to zero and then accelerated back again to the same speed in the other direction.

And it's that acceleration and deceleration that can, if we lose our grip and swing clear, smash us into the mast that is likely coming the other way at us with crippling force. How much force? Sorry, way past my math abilities. Let's just say this is really going to sting....

Later,
Dan

[hpeer]

Thanks for link to Morgans Cloud, I am a subscriber and will read it. I don’t always agree with their takes but I have modified my jacklines, much for the better, after reading some of their ideas.

The very FIRST investment I made in our boat was steps. It is common for the top steps to be double, one on either side, so as to provide equal footing. Standing on one leg for a protracted period is very tiring. I had them Install yet another set of steps one foot higher, so I could get a little more elevation to work on the top of the mast. I seldom use them and one must be careful to be clipped in but it makes some jobs far easier and safer, over reaching has its dangers.

My steps are about 24” apart. It works but 18”-20” would likely be better. The installer asked me how far apart? I am 5’10”, he was 5’7” so I said “Make them comfortable for you.” And that is what he told the worker who installed them, who was 6’4”. Argh!

I use a roofers harness, but will likely buy a better one. I added D rings for strap clip points.

I use 2 straps, always, color coded, (just magic marker) and a wee bit long. As I fold down the next step I put the strap over it, limiting how much I can fall. At a spreader I put the second strap over the spreader before unclipping the first strap. Color coding helps assure you don’t remove the wrong clip. When working at the top one clip is wrapped an additional turn around the mast, shortening it, so that I can lean back a bit and still be secure, resting into the harness.

When my Wife is available I also use the main halyard to the harness in addition to the straps. This is an “extra” but it gets my Wife to practice. And it helps especially when descending. I still stay clipped in, but let her take the weight and then I can move easier. Also good if I need to work on a spreader and reach a lot. It can be a pain at the very top because the halyard attachment is at the halyard wheel and stops you from going higher and hits the backstay uncomfortably.

I do need a better harness, this one is damn rough on the crotch.

My chances of a long fall are pretty small. But even a short fall caught on say the next step can be pretty traumatic. My biggest danger is getting caught aloft as in this incident. Maybe I fall 2’, step to step, and the sudden stop injures me. The I’’m up the mast without a paddle.

[RaymondR]

The only way for a single hander is steps so I've had them on both my boats.

I have a fitting which goes into the sail track on the mast which I shackle onto using my deck safety harness which would stop me toppling if I lost hold with my hands. A similar arrangement would prevent one from being flung away from the mast if being hoisted on a halyard provided the main sail could be taken down.

The one time I has a sail I could not lower was when sailing down the inside of the Great Barrier Reef. Fortunately the winds were light and I was sailing with twin head sails. The problem was caused by the spinnaker halyard having jammed in the sheave at the masthead.

The first round trip was to investigate the cause, the second to shackle another halyard onto the sails peak, the third was to unshackle the culprit halyard and pull it down to deck level, after lowering the sail, the fourth was to shackle the replacement block to the masthead.

That was twenty odd years ago and these days I'd be tempted to abandon the boat into the dingy to let it sail on and set the EPIRB off and wait for rescue.

[davil]

hpeer has a very detailed routine posted.
I have use almost the same approach and worked for me.

Under way on the conditions described? not sure is feasible for the "average cruiser" reading this unfortunate thread.

When I was younger and beautiful (now I am only beautiful) used the webbing straps working in a mooring dealing with the wake from speeding power boats, interesting.

Of course, those webbing steps could not be used if the mainsail track is not available.

Cutting control lines and letting the main self destroy seems a reasonable compromise?

Any other system based on a bosom chair however the lifting method is used am afraid is unworkable and ill-advised for this crowd.

A few weeks ago had a friend winch me on a chair up to the spreaders, even tied up to the dock gave me second thoughts, but that is personal

One more thing, just recovering from a nasty fall at home with a concussion reinforces my decision to add a helmet to my other safety devises on board.
Most serious accidents aboard may involve a broken bone,sometimes fixable until help is available, a serious blow to the head from serious to lethal.

[Jubilee39]

hpeer has good advice. I went up ay 69yo crossing Atlantice using very similar approach. Keep lashed to the mast. I pulled myself up with a 4 part rig I keep especially for mast work. I think it is necessary gear on an offshore vessel