Report released on 2019 Monterey Bay fatality incident
by US Sailing 15 Aug 2019 05:43 UTC
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Through a collaborative effort between US Sailing and the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club (MPYC) and support from the U.S. Coast Guard, a US Sailing independent working party has released a report on the crew overboard and fatality incident March 13, 2019 on Monterey Bay. A drowning occurred as part of Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club's Wednesday evening races.
Following the tragic incident, US Sailing contacted the MPYC to offer support and conduct a study that would research the incident and determine safety best practices for future considerations. The two organizations agreed to combine efforts and the overall collection of data by MPYC was valuable to the report.
The U.S. Coast Guard designated the US Sailing independent working party as a "Party in Interest", allowing our organizations to consult with each other and share information transparently. The cooperation of the Coast Guard in this report, as well as their on-the-water response, played an important role in the study.
The working party was appointed by Chuck Hawley acting on behalf of US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee Chair Sally Lindsay Honey.
Over the years, US Sailing has conducted several independent reviews of sailing accidents. These reviews conducted by panelists assembled from US Sailing's Safety at Sea Committee have improved safety guidelines for racing, communication between sailors and race organizers, and training for race officials running offshore races.
Read the report here.