SW-INC-0078SeaWise Incidents

Whispa - Run down in fog off Lowestoft: the yacht Whispa

In dense fog off Lowestoft, the sailing yacht Whispa was struck by the LPG carrier Gas Monarch; no one was hurt, but the holed yacht flooded progressively as a lifeboat towed her in. Both vessels had broken the collision rules.

verified · 1 sourceO
Vessel
WhispaSailing yacht
When
2007North Atlantic
Outcome
Returned safely
Position
North Sea, ~6 nm ESE of Lowestoft, England (UK)
Sea area
North Sea · off Lowestoft
Coordinates
52.42°N, 1.90°EApproximate position
Summary

What happened.

On the evening of 16 April 2007, the sailing yacht Whispa collided with the LPG carrier Gas Monarch in dense fog about 6 miles ESE of Lowestoft. No one was hurt on either vessel, and the yacht's damage was minor at first, but progressive flooding worsened it as a lifeboat towed her to Lowestoft. The MAIB found that both vessels had broken the collision-avoidance rules and misused their radars in the fog.

On the evening of 16 April 2007, in dense fog about 6 miles east-southeast of Lowestoft, the liquefied petroleum gas carrier Gas Monarch collided with the sailing yacht Whispa. There were no physical injuries on either vessel, and Gas Monarch was undamaged. Whispa's structural damage was relatively minor at the moment of impact, but it worsened through progressive flooding as she was towed to Lowestoft by a lifeboat. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that both vessels had failed to abide by the collision-avoidance regulations; that both ships' radars were performing poorly and were used inappropriately; and that Gas Monarch's third officer lacked experience and was not adequately supported by the master. Recommendations were made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and to the international marine radio body CIRM regarding small commercial vessel training and radar training.

ConditionsEvening, dense fog. Yacht's initial damage was minor but worsened through progressive flooding while under tow to Lowestoft by a lifeboat.
SeaWise noteFog is the great equaliser: it blinds the ship as much as the yacht, and it punishes anyone who keeps sailing as if they can still see. Whispa and Gas Monarch met because both leaned on radars they were not using well and neither slowed to the rules. The lesson is old and unglamorous — in poor visibility, ease the throttle, sound your signals, and trust the procedure, not your eyes.
Lessons learned

What it teaches.

  • 1
    In fog, slow to a safe speed and sail the rules. The MAIB found both vessels broke the collision-avoidance regulations in dense fog. In restricted visibility, reduce speed, make the prescribed sound signals, keep a sharp all-round watch, and assume nothing about what the other vessel will do.
    collision on watch
  • 2
    Radar only saves you if you use it well. Both vessels' radars were performing poorly and were used inappropriately, and a small yacht is a weak target in fog. Learn to tune, range and plot your set, and carry a radar target enhancer or AIS so a ship can actually detect and track you.
    collision prep to sail
  • 3
    Towing a holed boat can finish her — control the flooding first. Whispa's damage was minor at impact but worsened through progressive flooding under tow. Stem the breach and get pumps working before and during a tow, and have the towing vessel keep the speed down so water isn't forced in.
    flooding collision
  • 4
    You can't fix the other ship's bridge — so protect yourself. Gas Monarch's third officer was inexperienced and short of support from the master. You will never see that from your cockpit; assume the watch opposite may be stretched, keep well clear of shipping, and make yourself as visible and predictable as you can.
    collision on watch
Sources

Where this comes from.

Official report· MAIB (UK)Collision between liquid gas carrier Gas Monarch and sailing yacht WhispaVisit ↗

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From SeaWise

Procedures involved.

Procedure

Collision

Explore

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CollisionFloodingNorth Atlantic
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Record IDSW-INC-0078
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.