Two fatalities in the Sydney to Hobart race

[Montanan]

The MOB was swept 1.2 nautical miles away from the boat. The personal location beacon [PLB] was activated, a search airplane was dispatched and boats were diverted to help in the search and the same boat from which the MOB occurred was able to locate and recover their crew. The MOB is fine and healthy.

"The conditions were not excessive, winds were 25 knots from the north, some of the damage was a bit surprising and it will be interesting to hear from the skippers as to what they perceive caused it. Three boats were dismasted, two that had their mainsails ripped. 14 boats retired."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAe74P1y43I

[Montanan]

Informative video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa_FRp_7T98

[AndyOz]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Have you ever been on a racing yacht while racing? Short tethers are not used as they are too restricting to movement, except for the helmsperson who needs to stay close to the wheel or tiller regardless of what else is happening. The rest of the crew is either sitting on the rail or tending to a certain piece of equipment and needs to be ready to jump to any other task that is needed. Racing yachts typically, until you get to mini maxi size at 70 feet, have two jacklines running full length forward from the cockpit either side of the mast and any cabin trunk, plus another down the midline of the cockpit (or one either third of a full width open cockpit). Anywhere forward of the mast it is narrow enough to go over the lifeline, or be pinned against the inside of the lifelines, during an uncontrolled fall due to sudden knockdown.

I certainly have. I and most of my fellow crew prefer short tethers, specifically the three-point ones with a central pull release. Although I believe they may not be strictly as per regulations. The shorter of the two legs is excellent for bracing, say at the mast during reefing.

Given the usual 2m tethers with hooks on both ends are near impossible to release if you are being towed at even a slowish speed, maybe this MOB had a three-point tether and the presence of mind to release it in the water.

As for the news comment that the MOB drifted 1.2nm from the yacht, I seriously doubt it. The yacht went 1.2nm before it could go back? Sure. On a downwind run in those conditions, the boat would have a kite up, and to drop it safely takes some time and distance. 1.2nm is actually pretty slick, in my opinion.

[Uricanejack]

Unfortunately two people went out sailing on a yacht race with their friends.
Like everyone else they should have come home to their families. They did not come home. Life will never be the same again for those who loved them or their friends.
This is tragic.

I am just an ordinary sailor who has crew a couple of local club events. So no i've never crewed a big race boat in a big race and most likely never will.
I've never driven a Nas car or F1 ither. Never will.

I'm certainly not going to say I know what happened or how to fix it. I don't and there isn't enough information.
What bothers me. Are the post's suggesting its a race and it's just something to be accepted as part of racing.

This tragedy was avoidable. An investigation should take place to find out what happened. Followed by recommendations to make changes to hopefully ensure it does not happen again.
The organisers of this race and the boats who enter it have a duty to try and ensure it does not happen again. If this means changing rules and requirements. Deal with it or go do something else.

Crew's should be able to enjoy their pastime safely and be able to come home to their families.
No race is worth somebody's life.

It's not just part of racing. To say this is a copout. Often said after any kind of accident by people who just don't want to change. Or accept they are also fallible and capable of making an error or putting a foot wrong.

Teather's are an old story. If the tether is long enough for you to fall off its to F!@#$%^ long. To those about to protest. Yeah I've heard it before. You are still wrong.
Fortunately this sailor survived. I am very thankful for this. I'm sure his family and friends much more so.

My personal boat is an 80's cruiser racer. I dont race it. one of the features I like the traveler is not in the cockpit. its on the coach roof.
Less efficient.
Less dangerous.
The boom will still hit you on the ear. So not perfect.

For those who wont change, work wise, you get three chance to get with the program or look for other employment.

Sailing, a leisure activity. For those who wont learn or resist change. I can just choose not to sail with you.
Hopefully other crew will look for better skippers.
Or Skippers look for better crew.

I'd rather loose than race than deal with the paper work . Or have to explain to your wife why you didn't come home.

[Montanan]

Tether length should be readily adjustable so as to shorten or lengthen as needed for the task and the position and the hazard. A well d'uh. Common in all fall prevention equipment.

The Bass Strait has considerable current up to 5 knots in some places and the coast of Australia also has significant current which would drift a MOB. The recovery was likely not quick as a rescue airplane was dispatched and other vessels were notified and diverted to assist in locating the MOB.

As to skippering for an MOB situation, a simple hoave-to manuever keeps one in close proximity to a MOB. One should not have much distance put between the vessel and the MOB if the MOB occurrence is promptly realized. Just halt the boat and get the crew prepared to locate and assist the MOB to reboard and then return course.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Montanan

snip...

The Bass Strait has considerable current up to 5 knots in some places and the coast of Australia also has significant current which would drift a MOB. ..snip

Current would affect yacht and MoB in equal part. Yacht would have sailed away from man in water. At an assumed 12 knots it would take 5 minutes to be a mile down wind. I can see it taking 5 minutes to stop the yacht in such a manner that you don't have more MoBs.

Be aware that most of what is appearing in the media is written by dirt dwellers who know very little about the subject.

[JPA Cate]

The skipper who went overboard was in the water for 31 minutes. He was caught under the lee, and was able to release his tether, according to ABC news (Australian Broadcasting Co.). In the middle of the night, too. He had a head lamp, and raised it above his head, to help the crew find him. He couldn't tell which boat it was that came close, just could see their nav lights. It must have felt almost like a miracle to him. And it was wonderful it was his own guys, too.

Here's a link, to the announcement after the names of the decedents were released to the press. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-...race/104759776 It's the 3rd story down.

Ann

On edit: Here's another link, says he was in the water 45 min.: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-...scue/104765924

[donradcliffe]

From the safety of my armchair, I would say the double tethers are the best and simplest solution. When I have to work on the leeward side of the boat, I have the option of hooking to the weather jackline with the longer tether, or putting the shorter tether on a deck eye near the mast.

I agree with AndyOz. When it goes pear shaped in 30-40 knots of wind, a race boat with a spinnaker up simply cannot heave to. You are going to rip the spinnaker, and risk a dismasting or getting a line in the prop. A mile from the MOB is doing very well. You need to get up the off watch and have them tether up, or you may have more people in the water.

The race required a PLB for every crew. The PLB gets the location of the MOB to the satellite and to the safety center, which then has to get in contact with the boat and give them the coordinates. In this case, that system seems to have worked. Otherwise, you are depending on your navigator to retrace your track with a bit of windage for drift, then pray.

[Jim Cate]

Be aware that most of what is appearing in the media is written by dirt dwellers who know very little about the subject.

Sadly, it seems as if the same is true here on CF...

Jim

[AndyOz]

I've had a fair bit of experience with MOBs, even been one myself (long story, not a yacht).

The last was a new crew on a race boat, funnily enough pushed overboard by the boom during an accidental gybe at 2am in 25-odd knots downwind.

Yes, it took us a little while to get the boat turned around and we picked him up safely and uninjured. He had a plb, and had the previous day been instructed in its use, but forgot it. Instead, what saved him was another crew thrusting a small waterproof torch into his hands before the start.

We did all the recommended steps, including hitting the mob waypoint on the plotter, however we would still have struggled to find him if he didn't use the torch.

He was wearing a tether but not clipped in. On the coach house roof at the time so probably impractical anyway. Even if he was, the tether would likely have become a preventer, then injured him severely. Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in tethers, but they aren't appropriate in all circumstances.

[gregorybross]

Would a boom brake prevented these tragedies?

[Montanan]

There are discussions amongst the race organizers to enhance safety requirements to include PPE, such as proper helmets to provide protection against serious head injuries and improved tethering.

Also, helmets can be readily implemented with communication devices to enhance communication between the crew.

Kayakers routinely wear helmets. Skiers wear helmets, baseball players and football players where helmets, skateboarders and bicyclists wear helmets.
Mariners can wear helmets.

Reference link to exemplary high visibility water safety helmets:
https://liveactionsafety.com/first-w...%7C%20%2456.25

Proper length and positioning of tethering would have mitigated against the person ending up overboard on the leeside of his vessel, especially allowing the person's head to be pushed underwater. At worst one's feet should be able to enter the water on the leeside while being tethered. One's chest and head should be restrained from entering the water on the lee side, that is to say, staying inside the lifelines. Life lines serve no containment purpose if one is on the outside of them.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by gregorybross

Would a boom brake prevented these tragedies?

Boom brakes would have slowed the transition of the boom and thus eased the impact on crewmember. Simple friction to adsorb force.

The risk of fatal injuries from impacts increases dramatically at critical speeds.

Force is an exponential factor with speed.

The boom's travel speed is associated with the wind speed and the abruptness of the change of the relative wind direction.

By way of example illustrated below is the risk of fatality to pedestrians hit by a vehicle across a range of speed.

Reference link: https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/relation...s_richards.pdf

If one can slow the boom a bit, the severity of the hazard declines remarkably.

Apparently one person was tossed by the impact with the shift of the mainsheet and hit his head on the winch and the other was impacted with the boom itself.

One desires to take the capital K out of Kaboom and make it a little k

kaboom

[Montanan]

Graph: Cumulative severity of pedestrian injury associated with speed of impact:

https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/relation...s_richards.pdf

Simply slowing the transition of the boom would reduce the degree of hazard considerably.

[OneBoatman]

This is tragic, the two things that come to mind that can take you immediately is a) getting hit by the boom, or b) ending up in the water and drowning before a rescue is possible. Unfortunately, many racing boats whether designed for offshore or near shore sailing typically have very low booms essentially favoring performance over safety. Constant vigilance is necessary, sudden wind shifts are possible night and day. Always it is "by surprise" this sort of thing happens, distraction, excitement, or fatigue results in a sailor failing to guard against what I'm sure they learned from day one. Internal bleeding is a blind killer where others may not even expect to find you dead until the next day. At the dock, and long before the weather is upon you, is the time to pre-rig and make it easy and above all safe for your crew to set the preventer without fail as this is a key safety measure when off the wind. Racers, in particular, sometimes ignore this measure as movement about and extra tasks are otherwise taboo when racing. When it's honking it can be near equally as dangerous for a crewmember to attach a preventer if you haven't rigged the boat such that your crew can do it from a safe position.