Despite the efforts of the Federal Border Guard and the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), all help came too late.
The Grand Soleil 70 "Sinfonie Sylt" was on its way from the Danish harbour of Höruphav to Kiel on Ascension Day. On board at the time of the accident were the owner couple Riel from Westerland and Erich Erichsen, a long-time, experienced co-sailor.
The wind was blowing from the north-west at force 5 Bft (gusting 7 Bft). Heading 140°, Erichsen had just switched the steering from manual to automatic and was already on his way forwards when a patent jibe occurred. A bull stander had not been sheared so that the boom with the mainsail could strike from one side to the other unhindered. Owner Reinhold Riel was below deck preparing breakfast.
Erich Erichsen was caught by the mainsheet and thrown into the cockpit. He suffered extremely serious head injuries. At the time, the yacht was about one nautical mile east of the Kalkgrund lighthouse. Owner Riel fell on deck and went into the wind. The couple recovered both sails. An emergency call was then made. "The seriously injured man was bleeding from every orifice in his head," Riel told YACHT. "I'm sure he died instantly."
The coastal defence boat "Bad Düren" immediately ran to the casualty with extreme vigour and reached him before the DGzRS, which had set out with its boats "Nis Randers" (Maasholm) and "Jens Füerschipp" (Gelting). After resuscitation measures, the emergency doctor who had arrived in the meantime was only able to determine that the sailor had died. The accident victim probably died as a result of a fractured skull.
The investigating authorities consider it unlikely that the boom struck the head of the casualty. The main boom is more than 2.10 metres above deck. It is more likely that the mainsheet or the traveller sled was the cause of the co-sailor being injured during the jibe and thrown into the cockpit. The criminal investigation department in Schleswig is still investigating.
