Buccaneer of Upnor - Killed by an accidental gybe off St Alban's Head: Buccaneer of Upnor
Overpowered in a gusty force 6 with an inexperienced helmsman struggling to hold course, the Elan 333 Buccaneer of Upnor gybed inadvertently; the mainsheet swept the mate against the coachroof, killing him.
What happened.
On 22 August 2007, 2.5 miles southwest of St Alban's Head, the Elan 333 cruiser-racer Buccaneer of Upnor gybed inadvertently while an inexperienced helmsman struggled to hold course in a northerly force 5-6 gusting 7. During the gybe the mainsheets swept the mate against the edge of the coachroof, causing fatal injuries. There were six people aboard, on a delivery passage from Plymouth to Gosport.
On 22 August 2007, the Elan 333 cruiser-racing yacht Buccaneer of Upnor, managed by the Royal Engineer Yacht Club, was on a passage from Plymouth to Gosport with six people aboard. The skipper held an RYA Day Skipper qualification and had 14 years' experience; the mate was experienced with an RYA Competent Crew certificate, but the rest of the crew had very little experience, and there had been a partial crew change at Weymouth. The forecast was for a northerly force 5-6, gusting 7. By midday the boat was on a close reach under two reefs and the No.1 jib, but was overpowered: an inexperienced helmsman was struggling to hold the course the skipper had set to clear St Alban's Head, and the mate was frequently spilling wind by slackening the mainsheet. At about 1315, some 2.5 nautical miles southwest of St Alban's Head, the yacht gybed inadvertently, and the mainsheets swept the mate against the edge of the coachroof, causing fatal injuries.
What it teaches.
- 1Rig a preventer, and respect the mainsheet's sweep, not just the boom. In the inadvertent gybe it was the mainsheets that flung the mate against the coachroof, fatally. Downwind a preventer reduces crash gybes, and crew must stay clear of the whole arc of boom and sheet — both can kill.
- 2Don't leave an inexperienced helmsman overpowered in gusts. The novice could not hold course in a northerly 5-6 gusting 7, and the mate was constantly spilling wind to cope. Reduce sail to match the crew and the conditions, and put an experienced hand on the helm when control is marginal.
- 3If you're spilling wind constantly, you are carrying too much sail. The mate had to slacken the mainsheet again and again to depower an overpowered rig — a clear sign to reef further. Depower by reducing sail, not by fighting the sheet, which keeps a crew member exposed right at the danger.
- 4Brief and position your crew for the gybe risk. Six were aboard, most with little experience, in demanding conditions. Make sure everyone knows where the boom and mainsheet travel, and to stay low and clear of that path — especially when the boat is hard to hold downwind.
Where this comes from.
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