Sobering, Platino Final Report

[tartansailor]

Makes me want to formalize my Safety Regimen, and make a few refinements.

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commerci ... t-2016.pdf

[North Branch]

Thanks, very sobering. A very experienced crew and such a tragic story. I’m getting a few more throwable cockpit cushions.

[John Stone]

Only had time to read the executive summary. But my take is the main issue is the uncontrolled gybe. The boom is the single most dangerous piece of equipment on a sailboat. I can’t count the number of times I have seen people sailing downwind without a preventer. We always have a preventer rigged on the Far Reach (sometimes two) and in use even in light conditions. I have seen experienced offshore skippers sailing big boats downwind without a preventer. It’s nuts to do that.

The second issue is using the mainsail downwind in high wind conditions. Not saying it is never the right choice but you can’t get hit with the boom if the main is down and the boom is lashed to the gallows.

The third issue is the auto pilot. I have had auto pilot failures on an old boat. And on a new untested boat those complicated systems take time to sort out. I prefer my windvane because it reacts to the wind and will maintain the relative point of sail despite a wind shift thus reducing the likelihood of suddenly sailing-by-the-lee. But even with a trusted vane or auto pilot if I thought the conditions were sketchy I’d use a helmsmen.

It’s a sad thing to see people hurt and lives lost when it’s preventable. Sailing is a fun sport and should be very safe in most conditions. You can’t legislate, nor should you, against bad judgment or poor decision making. Keep the water out, the rudder on, the rig up, and everyone on board.

Ultimately, “you pays your money and you takes your chances.”

[Carl Thunberg]

Complicated boat systems and an aloof owner are a very bad mix. The professional crew were hired for their sailing expertise, not for their maintenance expertise. The boat had been recently overhauled. If the hydraulic oil hadn't leaked, the auto-pilot would have maintained its proper course, and the boat would never have gybed, and the preventer would have done its job. The crew had planned on a chicken gybe, so they had planned a seamanlike maneuver. For lack of a quart of oil (or more). Not sure where that leaves us, other than to know your own boat's mechanical systems inside and out. That, and be smarter than the machine.