Mollyanna - Capsize of the sailing dinghy Mollyanna with loss of 2 lives
A small open dinghy inverted in a rising wind and could not be re-righted.
What happened.
On 2 July 2005 the small sailing dinghy Mollyanna capsized off Puffin Island, North Wales, in force 5–6 winds and 1.5-metre seas. It inverted and could not be held upright. The owner died within about ten minutes; his son and two grandsons clung to the hull for over an hour until a charter fishing boat found them. The youngest child also died. The dinghy failed the buoyancy and stability standard for its design category.
At about 1430 on 2 July 2005 the small sailing dinghy Mollyanna capsized roughly seven cables off Puffin Island, North Wales, with four aboard: the owner, his son and two grandsons. In a force 5–6 wind and 1.5-metre waves she inverted. The owner's son twice managed to right her, but each time she capsized and inverted again. The owner died about ten minutes after the first capsize. His son and the two children clung to the upturned hull until, at 1558, a passing charter fishing boat saw them and recovered them; the youngest child was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. The MAIB found the dinghy did not meet the buoyancy and stability requirements for its design category, that earlier stability calculations contained errors, that the crew were inexperienced and unaware of a deteriorating forecast, that their clothing offered little protection, and that the owner's lifejacket was not securely fastened.
What it teaches.
- 1Check your boat can be righted and will still float you after a capsize. Mollyanna failed the buoyancy and stability standard for its design category and stayed inverted.
- 2Read the forecast before you launch. The crew were unaware conditions were forecast to deteriorate, and a force 5–6 overwhelmed an open dinghy.
- 3Dress for the water, not the air. Thin clothing offers little protection; immersion saps strength fast, especially for children.
- 4Wear your lifejacket properly. The owner's was not securely fastened — a jacket that is not done up may not work when you need it.
Where this comes from.
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