A serious accident: Cargo ship crushes sailing yacht – an interview with the sailing couple

​It was to be the start of their annual early-summer sailing trip. Kirsten and Detlef Kaack set off from Heiligenhafen and planned to use the Great Belt as a springboard. In Korsør, they decided to moor in the harbour basin. Their Elan 45, the ‘Niddasch’, was moored there at the quay, the only boat for miles around. The harbour basin measures 150 metres at its widest point and tapers to a width of around 100 metres at the Kaacks’ mooring. At 7.56 pm, they made their first contact with the 104-metre-long “Olymp Trader”, which was approaching from Wismar.

The cargo vessel intended to pass under the bascule bridge at the end of the harbour basin in order to moor on the other side and, presumably, load general cargo. However, the manoeuvre went wrong. Instead of turning gently and steadily – as shown by the AIS movement profile – the ‘Olymp Trader’ approached at what was presumably too high a speed before veering sharply to port. Whilst reversing to correct the course, the skipper appeared to have lost control. Police investigations revealed that the 54-year-old Russian first officer was under the influence of alcohol – his blood alcohol level was one per mille above the legal limit. The ‘Olymp Trader’ is operated by the Danish shipping company Baltic Shipping Company; the ship’s owner is from Latvia.

YACHT: Mr Kaack, it’s now been a week since the accident. What is the initial assessment of the damage?

Detlef Kaack: We’ve just learnt that Seldén won’t be able to deliver the new mast until November at the earliest. We can forget about this season. The boat will remain at the Klemens shipyard in Großenbrode for repairs and will be inspected for structural damage. On the port side, the steering wheel is bent and can no longer be moved; the same applies to the genoa winch. The stern platform and rail supports have been torn out, and the coaming is bent. Both rubbing strakes and gunwales need replacing; on the starboard side, the hull has a few scrapes.

Let’s talk about what happened. Where were you, and what was your first reaction?

Detlef Kaack: We arrived in Korsør and had decided to moor in the inner harbour. It was completely empty, and we were the only boat to moor on the western side in Gamle Havn. It’s a standard mooring along the quay wall with an electricity supply, where many traditional vessels and other yachts usually moor. Incidentally, it’s within sight of the Danish Maritime Authority. After a walk, we had dinner on board. When we’d more or less finished, my wife said, ‘There’s a loud noise – could you have a look out there?’ I looked out of the cabin window and saw a red wall right in front of me – a huge ship. I told her there was a ship very close by and that she should have a look. Then I went out into the cockpit to take a closer look. I saw the ship slowly moving with its stern towards the quay wall, with its propeller running at full reverse. It was then clear to me that something wasn’t right.

Fascination quickly turned to concern.

Detlef Kaack: The 104-metre-long ship was getting closer and closer to the quay – and to us – with its stern leading the way. I started to work it out; you do have a bit of a feel for movement, after all. And then I said to my wife: ‘This is going to go wrong. I don’t think he’s in control. ‘We should get ashore quickly.’ I carried on filming for a moment longer, because I thought I had to capture it in case something happened. Then I went ashore too, as it drifted towards us. You can see that in the video I took myself [at the very bottom].

What happened next on land?

Detlef Kaack: It took another minute before it was his turn. He must have reversed right at full throttle, then drove forwards and, I think, even scraped the quay with his own rudder. I can’t quite remember whether he first knocked the mast over or crashed into the boat. In any case, the bridge cleat was caught on the upper shroud, and the tension was already causing the mast to lean forward slightly.

Did the mast break straight away?

Detlef Kaack: He must then have pulled very hard on the backstay, which had become snagged on the superstructure. I saw the stern of our hull lift by a quarter to half a metre before the aluminium structure of the mast snapped. The shrouds and stays have all remained intact, but will no longer be used. The mast first snapped off at half its height to port, at an angle of about ninety degrees towards the ship. And then the ship reversed at full throttle again, presumably to slow down and free us; they had already dragged us along for a bit. In the process, three mooring lines snapped. Finally, some people up on the bridge took the trouble to untangle our backstay. Once it was clear, they passed under the bascule bridge and moored on the other side at the quay.

What did the aid on the ground look like?

Detlef Kaack: An elderly Danish woman had already called the police, and I thought our boat was going to sink. When it looked as though it was still afloat, we got on board and fetched some documents just in case. The police arrived quickly and checked with us whether water was getting in and whether everything was watertight. They decided on the spot to give the all-clear and allow us to board. After that, they drove to the ‘Olymp Trader’ with their blue lights flashing.

Did you feel well looked after straight away?

Detlef Kaack: The authorities were excellent. Representatives from the Port Authority and the Maritime Authority arrived straight away. Everyone, including the onlookers, was helpful and friendly, and they gave my wife a hug. Denmark made a very good impression.

How was the night on board?

Detlef Kaack: The squeaking and screeching that can be heard in one of the videos went on all night. Due to the swell in the harbour, the mast creaked with every sway as the aluminium rubbed back and forth. Only the lower shrouds were still secure; the jib was hanging in an arc, half in the water. As we were afraid the mast would break and come crashing down, we slept aft. My wife didn’t sleep a wink.

What did the next day bring?

Detlef Kaack: In the morning, the swell was even stronger, so we could barely keep the boat steady. And the mast kept swaying from left to right and looked as though it might break at any moment. Our mast is a through-mast and had broken at deck level and bent completely in half halfway up. With the help of representatives from the other party’s insurance company and the ship operator, we towed ourselves behind an ocean-going tug into calmer waters. I reported the damage to Pantaenius, who commissioned Marine Claims Service (MCS) to assess and settle the claim. A member of staff set off straight away from Hamburg and was with us by three o’clock. He rolled up his sleeves and really got stuck in, organising and paying for everything – such as the mobile crane for dismantling the mast. We took down the sails, and the mast was scrapped straight away.

It sounds like a tragic case of Murphy’s Law.

Detlef Kaack: Perhaps it was just as well that it wasn’t fully loaded. Otherwise, the ship would indeed have crushed us. Just before or during the collision, nobody made a sound – not even with a horn. They quietly cut us down whilst weeping and threw a red, smoking lifebuoy into the water.

Kirsten Kaack: It was a series of blunders; we were the only ship for miles around.

What were your plans for the trip?

Kirsten Kaack: From Korsør, we wanted to go to Samsø, perhaps on to Mölle, and visit the Tango Days in Helsingborg.

But that wasn’t your last sailing trip, was it?

Kirsten Kaack: It could almost have come to that. I was interviewed by Danish television straight away, whilst the boat was still shrouded in orange smoke. It was probably a misunderstanding, because at that moment I said: ‘That’s it. That’s our last trip.’ At the time, though, I thought we’d have to abandon the boat and jump back on board to fetch a few last things.

Would you call at the port again?

Kirsten Kaack: Yes, but not moored right there. So we’d moor up to go for a meal and then move to the marina afterwards. Now I start to panic whenever I hear loud engine noises. Up until now, I’d always assumed they could sail away and moor. If a ship stays next to us for a while now, I’m already sceptical. Our three-year-old grandson has said he doesn’t like big ships any more.

How badly will this disruption affect you?

Detlef Kaack: The boat is moored in Heiligenhafen. And as we live between Ratzeburg and Mölln, we usually use it every weekend or even a few times a week. So we’re missing out on a fair bit of use. This year’s already gone down the drain. But I’m seventy. You never know how many years you’ve got left.

Kirsten Kaack: And for us, it’s also a sort of weekend cottage. We can head down to Heiligenhafen, where we basically have a whole flat – which is what a boat like this is, after all.

What would be the alternative for this season?

Detlef Kaack: So we don’t have a spare boat to hand, but we’ve still got the dinghy. Our jetty neighbour from ‘Yachtcharter und Meer’ said, just for a laugh, that we could use one of their boats for a week if it wasn’t booked out. Or we could do something completely different. We’ve always wanted to go to Australia, but that’s not a good idea in the summer. I’d love to visit Scotland one day. But you have to put up with constant rain and the cold there.