SW-INC-0122SeaWise Incidents

Roaring Meg of Cowes - Two crew seriously hurt by accidental gybes aboard Roaring Meg

An IMX 38 racing yacht suffered two accidental gybes in heavy winds in Southampton Water; both injuries were serious enough to draw an MAIB investigation.

verified · 1 sourceO
Vessel
Roaring Meg of Cowes38 ft · IMX 38 racing yacht
When
2006North Atlantic
Outcome
Returned safely
Position
Southampton Water, 3.3 cables south-west of Hamble Point Buoy, England
Sea area
Southampton Water · Solent
Coordinates
50.85°N, -1.33°WApproximate position
Summary

What happened.

In heavy winds in Southampton Water on 20 May 2006, the IMX 38 racing yacht Roaring Meg of Cowes suffered two accidental gybes on the same passage, seriously injuring two of her crew. The accident, near Hamble Point, was investigated by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

On 20 May 2006, the IMX 38 racing yacht Roaring Meg of Cowes was sailing in heavy winds in Southampton Water, about 3.3 cables south-west of the Hamble Point Buoy, when she suffered two accidental gybes during the same passage. In an accidental gybe the mainsail and boom swing across the boat unchecked, and on Roaring Meg the consequences were severe: two of her crew were seriously injured. The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigated and published a report with safety lessons on the handling of yachts downwind in strong winds. There were no fatalities, but the injuries were serious enough to make this a formal accident investigation rather than a near miss.

ConditionsHeavy winds in Southampton Water, 20 May 2006. Two accidental gybes on the same passage caused two serious injuries aboard the IMX 38 yacht Roaring Meg of Cowes. MAIB investigation report (published 2015). No fatalities.
SeaWise noteDownwind in a blow, the boom is the most dangerous thing on the boat. An accidental gybe sends it across with enough force to break bones or knock a crew overboard, and it happens in the time it takes the stern to pass through the wind. The fix is unglamorous and reliable: rig a preventer, brief the crew, and keep heads and bodies out of the boom's arc before you bear away.
Lessons learned

What it teaches.

  • 1
    In strong winds the boom is the most dangerous object aboard. Two crew on Roaring Meg were seriously hurt by accidental gybes. Sailing downwind in a blow, rig a preventer to stop the boom crossing uncontrolled, and keep heads and bodies clear of the mainsheet and the boom's sweep.
    extreme weather man overboard
  • 2
    An accidental gybe happens in a second — brief and prepare before bearing away. Roaring Meg suffered two gybes on one passage. In heavy air, agree who controls the mainsheet, call the manoeuvre out loud, and have the crew braced and clear before the stern passes through the wind.
    extreme weather
  • 3
    Be ready to treat serious injury at sea. With two people hurt in heavy weather, managing trauma and calling for help matters. Carry a well-stocked first-aid kit, a reliable way to summon assistance, and have crew who know basic casualty care so an injury stays a manageable event.
    medical communications
Sources

Where this comes from.

Official report· MAIB (UK)Accidental gybes by sailing yacht Roaring Meg of Cowes with 2 people injuredVisit ↗

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From SeaWise

Procedures involved.

Procedure

Medical

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Record IDSW-INC-0122
Curated bySeaWise editorial
Confidenceverified · 1 source
Record typeIncident

About SeaWise records: We catalogue sailing emergencies with structured metadata and link to primary sources rather than republishing them. Individual crew names are anonymised by default— sources we link to may name them publicly; SeaWise refers to roles ("the skipper", "the crew") on our pages. Submitter identities are always private.