When ships sink or people lose their lives, the experts at the Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) of very serious marine accidents. This is extremely rare in sailing. However, two such tragedies occurred last year.
Public interest was correspondingly high. Also because the accidents did not involve typical yacht crews. One case involved the training yacht "Meri Tuuli" from a commercial sailing school in Hamburg. And the second case involved the "Falado von Rhodos", a brigantine on which scouts have been travelling to sea for many years.
In the first case, the BSU final investigation report and in the second case a Interim report published.
The stranding
In the summary of the course of the accident on board the "Meri Tuuli" The investigation report states: "On 10 April 2013 at 08:30, the German training vessel, the sailing yacht MERI TUULI of the type X-Yachts 442, left Peniche/Portugal with 5 crew members bound for Figueira da Foz. The voyage was planned with a
distance of 55 nm and a speed of 8 knots, so that the arrival time at high tide would have been around 16:30 in the afternoon. The MERI TUULI did not reach her berth in the destination harbour.
After hauling in the sails, she heeled over abruptly SW of the N mole at about the 10 m line at 16:41 h through a bottom sea, probably to port, when she was struck by a steep, aft 5-6 m high wave and lost her steering ability. The mast broke and 4 crew members fell overboard. During the rescue operation, a police officer and a crew member died in a semi-rigid inflatable boat that had capsized after two crew members of the MERI TUULI had already been rescued."
The downfall
The events surrounding the total loss of the "Falado of Rhodes" the experts describe as follows: "The "Falado of Rhodes", built in 1968 as a research vessel based on historical models in Greece, had left the port of Rif in Iceland at around 10:00 a.m. on 8 August 2013, heading for Keflavik. The plan was to arrive in Keflavik around midday on 10 August 2013. The crew consisted of 12 people, including a 44-year-old skipper in possession of a recreational coastal navigation licence. A 27-year-old holder of a recreational boating licence was assigned as the boatswain. Another person on board also had a recreational boating licence.
Cape Snaellsjökull was rounded at around 15:00 and due to the prevailing wind direction southeast with a force of 5 Bft, we sailed with engine assistance. Due to the cross sea with wave heights of approx. 2 metres, the ship pitched considerably and some waves went over the forecastle. The ship took on considerably more water in the swell than in smooth seas, which was nothing unusual for the crew and was regularly pumped out with bilge pumps.
At around 22:00, the skipper noticed an increased water level in the bilges. At this time, the ship was south of Iceland. An emergency call was made at around 23:30, whereupon a fishing cutter was on standby in the vicinity, and the rescue cruiser reached the ship at around 02:00. A diesel pump that had been handed over could not be put into operation and the water level continued to rise, so the ship was evacuated at around 04:00. The "Falado of Rhodes" sank at around 05:00 on 9 August 2013.
The teachings
In the second case, the investigations have not yet been finalised. According to the experts, design or structural faults or poor condition due to age or maintenance are likely.
In the case of the "Meri Tuuli", the investigators came to various conclusions and recommendations. For example, the 275-N lifejackets with sprayhood would have hindered the rescue of the crew members: "In the design of the lifejacket, an attempt was made to combine the function of a safety harness with the function of an inflatable lifejacket. As a consequence, this led to some crew members taking off their lifejackets during the rescue and to the tragic death of one crew member."
Lasse Johannsen
Deputy Editor in Chief YACHT
Born in Kiel, grew up on the water and on board, trained as a sailor in the club and sailing on the North and Baltic Seas. After school, navy and legal training, he worked as a trainee at YACHT from 2007-2009 in the Panorama department, which he now heads. He is also responsible for the special edition of YACHT classic, has published several books with Delius-Klasing and is deputy editor-in-chief of YACHT. Johannsen is an enthusiastic cruising sailor on his own keel and an active supporter of the German classic boat scene.
