Siesta - Aground at night, killed by a kedge line
Aground on the Long Sand at the end of a delivery from Spain, the 11.2 m yacht Siesta's skipper went over the side to lay a kedge anchor; the line fouled the propeller and dragged him under.
What happened.
On 21 June 2005, ending a delivery from southeast Spain to Ipswich, the 11.2 m sailing yacht Siesta ran aground at night on the Long Sand in the Thames Estuary. After attempts to heel and motor her off failed, the skipper went over the side with a rope around his waist to lay a kedge anchor; the line fouled the propeller and dragged him under. A crewman freed him, but he died despite a helicopter evacuation.
In the early hours of 21 June 2005, the 11.2-metre sailing yacht Siesta, with a crew of three, ran aground on the Long Sand in the Thames Estuary during the final stages of a delivery voyage from southeast Spain to Ipswich. After attempts to refloat her by heeling the yacht and using the engine failed, the skipper went over the side with a rope around his waist, intending to lay a kedge anchor. The rope became caught around the propeller and he was dragged underneath the yacht. After much difficulty another crewman freed him, but following evacuation by helicopter the skipper was found to have died. The MAIB promulgated lessons through its Safety Digest covering the dangers of ropes near propellers, the importance of thorough passage planning and correct-scale charts, the effects of fatigue on shorthanded crews in restricted visibility, the need for risk assessment when a vessel grounds, and the challenges of shallow tidal waters for sailors more used to largely non-tidal seas such as the Mediterranean.
What it teaches.
- 1Never put a line near a propeller — or tie one to a person in the water. The skipper went over the side with a rope around his waist to lay a kedge; it fouled the turning propeller and dragged him under. Keep all lines clear of the prop, and never secure a working line to a crew member's body.
- 2When you go aground, stop and risk-assess before you act. The death came during an improvised refloating attempt. A grounding is rarely an instant emergency — check the tide, the damage and your options, and plan the safest move before anyone goes near the water or the engine.
- 3Plan the tidal endgame as carefully as the offshore passage. The MAIB stressed thorough passage planning, correct-scale charts, and the hazard of shallow tidal waters for crews used to the largely non-tidal Mediterranean. The last few miles into a sandbank-strewn estuary deserve more planning, not less.
- 4Fatigue is a hazard in its own right. The grounding came at 0340 at the end of a long, shorthanded delivery in restricted visibility — conditions that erode judgment exactly when it is needed most. Build a realistic watch-and-rest system for the final leg, which is often the most demanding.
Where this comes from.
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Procedures involved.
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