Gdynia. The yacht capsized, three sailors died. There is a report of the State Commission for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents

The incident happened on April 8 last year. According to the PKBWM report, a group of four sailors on the Delphia 24 sailed from the marina in the yacht basin in Gdynia to conduct spring training before the sailing season after the winter break.

“During one of the sections of straight sailing with the wind, the yacht capsized on the reefed mainsail and the set gennaker and the crew found themselves in the water” – indicated in the report. It was also emphasized that attempts by the crew to turn the yacht around so as to continue sailing were unsuccessful.

The report stated that the low water temperature of approx. 5-6 degrees Celsius, strong storm wind, effort during attempts to lift the yacht and stay close to the sinking hull, as well as the lack of warm clothing and wetsuits that delay the loss of body temperature, caused successively loss of consciousness due to the hypothermic process of three crew members whose bodies were taken by the wave and wind.

“The last member of the crew made an attempt to swim to the shore on his own. Thanks to the rescue operation, the sailor was found, already in the second stage of hypothermia” – it was reported.

It was pointed out that further, intensive rescue operation, in which many vessels took part, led to finding the bodies of two members of the yacht’s crew and the sunken hull of the vessel. The corpse of the last member of the crew was found only in June – after two months in the Gulf of Gdańsk near Stegna.

The representatives of the commission described the course of events in detail in the report. They also pointed to the causes of the tragic accident. According to PKBWM, “the yacht should not be allowed to operate due to technical deficiencies and repairs that were inconsistent with the requirements of the class”.

The report emphasized that the lack of proper technical maintenance and multiple approvals for operation in conditions that constituted excessive loads for the structure of the yacht caused damage and degradation of the structure during operation.

During the inspection, the following were found: no rudder yoke pin in its lower fitting on the transom; complete crack, detachment of the deck-board connection (port side) from the stern over a length of approx. 2.2 m and numerous damages, visible several repairs in various ways.

In addition, experts found cracked plastic caps for the transom and cockpit inspection hatches, a missing centerboard, and a missing pin to prevent it from falling out.

During the inspection, it was also found that the bow buoyancy chamber was completely flooded to the level of unselected water from the yacht. “This indicated a leak in the chamber. The bilge water passage through the chamber was probably delamined” – stated in the report.

In addition to mechanical factors, the members of the commission assessed the weather conditions and the sailors’ clothing. It was pointed out that IMGW meteorologists forecast winds of force 5 to 7 on the Beaufort scale, with gusts of 8 to 9, in the north gusts up to 10 on the Beaufort scale.

According to the PKBWM, “it can be assumed that the maximum time of survival in water was limited to 30 minutes.” The yacht capsized at 11.21. The helmsman of the yacht in the water, in a state of deep hypothermia, was found after about 5.5 hours. Another crew member after another 20 minutes.

According to the commission, the stormy weather conditions were known both to the owner of the Delphia 24 yachts, who offered the yachts for training, and to the sailors themselves planning the training.

“Despite the limitations of the design category for Delphia 24 yachts, which implied that the unit should be treated as designed for operation in typical steady winds up to Beaufort scale 6, the owner of Delphia 24 yachts made them available for training, informing only that they should be sailed on foresail and reefed mainsail” – emphasized in the report.

Members of the commission pointed out that it was very likely that the yacht underwent the so-called “deportation” at a speed of 13.1 knots.

It was also pointed out that the yacht charter company had no information about the crew members who had rented the yacht, which, according to the Commission, was “an additional delaying factor in trying to get in touch with the crew”.

The report states that racing yachts – and Delphia 24 is one of them – are intended only for regattas and sports competitions and do not have the rescue equipment required for sea vessels.

Therefore, there are capsizes and other events that sometimes require assistance from the belaying units. Therefore, during training or regattas, units should be under constant observation and rescue cover. “This was not organized on the day of the training for two Delphia 24 yachts” – the report states.

Therefore – as it was emphasized – the rescue operation conducted by the SAR rescue services was initiated thanks to the initiative of the owner of the RS 21 racing yachts, who found out about the situation and who contacted the owner of the Delphia 24 yachts by phone informing him about the accident. According to the commission, the rescue operation “was delayed by more than five hours, which had a direct impact on the outcome of the rescue operation.”

In the report, the committee members prepared recommendations for the sailing community. They indicated, among others that the restrictions resulting from the design categories in relation to the prevailing weather conditions should be respected. In addition, yacht crews should be equipped with means of communication. And the responsibility for the technical condition of the rented equipment rests solely with its owner.

Right after the accident The District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdynia has launched an investigation into unintentional violation of the rules in Polish territorial waters, safety rules in water traffic and unintentional accident causing the death of three.

The spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk, Grażyna Wawryniuk, said at the time that the proceedings were being conducted in the case, not against.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Mariusz Duszyński announced that the proceedings had not been completed. – In March, an opinion prepared by an expert in the field of investigation and reconstruction of marine accidents was obtained – he said. He noted that the opinion is being analyzed by the prosecutor’s office, which will decide on the further course of the proceedings.