On February 25th, 2019 the Chicago Yacht Club publicly released their report on the fatal crew overboard accident that occurred during the 2018 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

The report was put together by a diverse group of sailing and safety experts. The eight-member Safety Enhancement Committee, established by CYC after the accident, developed the report. The members included the chairs of U.S. Sailing’s Safety at Sea and U.S. Sailing’s Offshore Committees, as well as individuals with extensive high-profile offshore racing and regatta management experience from the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Transpac, and Races to Mackinac. In addition, CYC worked closely with the U.S Coast Guard.

They provided an overview of the incident and recommendations to help avoid a similar situation in the future. The findings were derived from extensive interviews with both Imedi's crew as well as witnesses to the incident and those who stood by to render assistance.

As a result of the Committee’s investigation, important lessons are shared with respect to malfunctioning personal safety gear, use of additional safety equipment on board, and boat control in challenging conditions. In addition, the report includes:

• Detailed recommendations regarding team communication and importance of having clearly identified crew overboard procedures
• Safety gear inspection
• Practice drills for boat handling in crisis situations, and for the person in the water
• Overall enhanced training and maintenance recommendations for inflatable life jackets
• What to watch for in drowning situations.

Please read the full report text for additional information here

This entry was posted on February 27, 2019 by admin.