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The 1998 Sydney to Hobart race
resulted in the loss of 6 sailors lives, 55 people rescued from
sailboats, 5 boats sank and 66 boats retired out of the 115
starters when multiple storms merged and hurricane force wind
and waves descended on the fleet.
There is enough data and
information here to keep Safety and Race Management experts in
debate for a long time to come in providing solutions to prevent
a reoccurrence of such an event.
The Coroner in Australia has
provided three documents.
The First, is the Executive
Summary of the Coroners Report, roughly 3 pages long.
The Second, is the Coroner's
Report in Adobe .pdf format, which is 331 pages long.
The Third, is the entire
record of the the Coroners
Investigation on a CD-ROM
including thousands of pages
of testimony and information, which can be purchased
from
the Coroner's office.
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
FINDINGSThe provisional findings were
given before commencement of the inquest proper. The findings as
to date of death of the three crewmen from the yacht
"Winston Churchill" were incorrect. On the evidence
before me they died on the 28th December, 1998, not 27th
December as originally stated. I am now able to return formal
findings into each of the six deceased.
My formal findings are:
THAT BRUCE RAYMOND GUY DIED ON
27TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE, A NATURAL
CAUSE, IN THE TASMAN SEA OFF EDEN, AT AN APPROXIMATE POSITION OF
37 DEGREES 16.5 MINUTES SOUTH AND 150 DEGREES 11.2 MINUTES EAST,
WHILST COMPETING IN THE SYDNEY TO HOBART YACHT RACE AS SKIPPER
OF THE YACHT "BUSINESS POST NAIAD".
THAT PHILLIP RAYMOND CHARLES
SKEGGS DIED ON 27TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF IMMERSION, IN THE TASMAN
SEA, OFF EDEN, AT AN APPROXIMATE POSITION OF 37 DEGREES 16.5
MINUTES SOUTH AND 150 DEGREES 11.2 MINUTES EAST, WHEN THE YACHT
"BUSINESS POST NAIAD", OF WHICH HE WAS A CREW MEMBER,
WAS STRUCK BY A WAVE AND OVERTURNED, HE BECOMING ENTANGLED IN
EQUIPMENT AND REMAINING UNDERWATER WHILST THE SAID YACHT WAS
INVERTED.
THAT GLYN RODERICK CHARLES DIED
ON 27TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF IMMERSION, IN THE TASMAN SEA, OFF
EDEN, AT AN APPROXIMATE POSITION OF 38 DEGREES 15 MINUTES SOUTH
AND 150 DEGREES 19 MINUTES EAST, WHEN THE LANYARD WHICH WAS
ATTACHED TO HIS HARNESS FAILED AT THE STITCHING, HE THEN BEING
WASHED OVERBOARD FROM THE YACHT "SWORD OF ORION", OF
WHICH HE WAS A CREW MEMBER.
I MAKE THIS FINDING
NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THE BODY OF GLYN RODERICK CHARLES HAS NEVER
BEEN LOCATED.
THAT JOHN WILLIAM DEAN DIED ON
28TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF IMMERSION, IN THE TASMAN SEA OFF EDEN,
WHEN THE REMAINS OF A LIFE RAFT FROM THE YACHT "WINSTON
CHURCHILL" TO WHICH HE WAS CLINGING, WAS WITHOUT WARNING
STRUCK BY A WAVE, WASHING HIM BEYOND ITS REACH.
I MAKE THIS FINDING
NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THE BODY OF JOHN WILLIAM DEAN HAS NEVER
BEEN LOCATED.
THAT JAMES MICHAEL LAWLER DIED ON
28TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF IMMERSION, IN THE TASMAN SEA OFF EDEN,
WHEN THE REMAINS OF A LIFE RAFT FROM THE YACHT "WINSTON
CHURCHILL" TO WHICH HE WAS CLINGING, WAS WITHOUT WARNING
STRUCK BY A WAVE, WASHING HIM BEYOND ITS REACH.
THAT MICHAEL BANNISTER DIED ON
28TH DECEMBER, 1998, OF IMMERSION, IN THE TASMAN SEA OFF EDEN,
WHEN THE REMAINS OF A LIFE RAFT FROM THE YACHT "WINSTON
CHURCHILL" TO WHICH HE WAS CLINGING, WAS WITHOUT WARNING
STRUCK BY A WAVE, WASHING HIM BEYOND ITS REACH.
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(a) One sea anchor or drogue
(attachment line should not be less than 15M) attached so that
the entry point to the raft is leeward (the NMI - Pattern with
anti-tangle lines is recommended).
(b) One safety knife.
(c) One bellows or hand pump for
hand inflation. (That is
of one piece, ready for use and does not require assembling).
(d) One waterproof torch (signaling).
(Together with one spare
set of batteries and one spare bulb in a waterproof container).
(e) One heliograph.
(f) One bailer. (Easily
identifiable as a bailer).
(g) One sponge per person.
(h) One repair outfit capable of
repairing punctures in buoyancy compartments. (When
such buoyancy compartments are wet with salt or fresh water).
(i) Six
emergency buoyancy tube leak stopping plugs.
(j) One buoyant rescue quoit
attached to at least 30 metres of buoyant line.
(k) Four red hand-flares and two
smoke signals or combination of both.
(l) Two red parachute flares. (Of
an approved type capable of giving a bright red light at a high
altitude).
(m) One signaling whistle.
(n) Sufficient drinking water,
giving 0.5 litres per person.
(o) One tin of emergency rations
per person.
(p) Two tubes of sunburn cream.
(q) Five plastic bags, not less
than 450 mm x 300 mm per person.
(r) An operational instruction
card clearly legible
on the life raft and its contents, waterproofed or stenciled on
the inside of the canopy (and
on the inside of the buoyancy compartments).
(s) A USL Coastal Pack First Aid
Kit.
(t) A water maker is recommended
for long Category 1 and 2 Races.
(u) Two conventional paddles.
(v) One set of fishing tackle.
(w) Six
anti-seasickness tablets for each person the life raft is deemed
to accommodate.
(x) One
waterproof copy of the illustrated table of life-saving signals
referred to in Regulation 16 of Chapter V of SOLAS.
(y) One
waterproof copy on how to survive in the life raft.
6) THAT WEATHER FORECASTS WHICH
ARE SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED FOR YACHT RACING FLEETS CONTAIN:
(a) AS WELL AS THE AVERAGE WINDS
EXPECTED, THE MAXIMUM GUSTS OF WIND THAT ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR;
AND
(b) AS WELL AS THE SIGNIFICANT
WAVE HEIGHTS EXPECTED, THE MAXIMUM WAVE HEIGHTS THAT ARE LIKELY
TO BE ENCOUNTERED.
7) THAT ALL YACHTS' BATTERIES BE
OF THE CLOSED OR GEL CELL TYPE.
8) THAT COMPETING YACHT CREW WHO
ARE ON DECK DURING ROUGH WEATHER SHOULD WEAR CLOTHING THAT WILL
PROTECT THEM FROM HYPOTHERMIA.
9) THAT COMPETING YACHT CREWS USE
PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES (PFD's) OTHER THAN THE `MAE WEST'
TYPE.
10) THAT ALL CREW MEMBERS OF
COMPETING YACHTS HAVE WITH THEM A PERSONAL STROBE LIGHT WHEN ON
DECK IN ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS.
11) THAT EACH COMPETING YACHT
CARRY ON ITS HULL OR DECK SOME FORM OF MARKING THAT CAN READILY
IDENTIFY THE YACHT TO AIR RESCUERS.
12) THAT AT LEAST 50% OF A
COMPETING YACHT'S CREW SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED A YACHT SAFETY AND
SURVIVAL COURSE EVERY THREE (3) YEARS:-
(a) THAT SUCH YACHT SAFETY AND
SURVIVAL COURSE BE THE COURSE ABF511 OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL
TRAINING AUTHORITY; AND
(b) THAT SUCH YACHT SAFETY AND
SURVIVAL COURSE BE TAUGHT BY INSTRUCTORS WHO HOLD A CURRENT
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TRAINING AUTHORITY CERTIFICATE FOR
ASSESSMENT AND WORKPLACE TRAINING BSZ40198.
The following recommendations are
not made to the CYCA and the AYF.
13) THAT WORK COVER NEW SOUTH
WALES INQUIRES INTO, AND REPORTS TO THE RELEVANT MINISTER OF THE
CROWN, ON THE PRACTICES ABOARD RACING YACHTS OF PROVIDING
"PAYMENT" TO SOME CREW, AND THE RAMIFICATIONS WHICH
MAY FLOW FROM THAT PRACTICE.
14) (a) THAT THE MINISTER FOR
FAIR TRADING (NSW) OR OTHER RELEVANT NSW GOVERNMENT MINISTER
CONSIDERS ORDERING THE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE MARKET OF ALL
HARNESSES AND LANYARDS BEARING THE NAME "TUFF MARINE
AUSTRALIA" OR ANY DERIVATION OF THAT NAME;
(b) THAT THE SAID MINISTER OR
OTHER RELEVANT NSW GOVERNMENT MINISTER CONSIDERS REQUIRING THAT
ALL HARNESSES USED BY YACHT CREWS HAVE A CROTCH STRAP FITTED;
AND
(c) THAT THE SAID MINISTER OR
OTHER RELEVANT NSW GOVERNMENT MINISTER CONSIDERS PURSUING A
REVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN STANDARD AS2227. |
