Review of a Disaster

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), organizer of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race in which six sailors died, has now released a 180-page report after six months of investigation and issued recommendations they say will improve safety for participants in future sanctioned ocean races Down Under.

The worst sailing disaster since the 1979 Fastnet Race occurred Dec. 27-28, 1998, when six racers were killed and dozens injured among the 115 entries in Australia's biggest regatta. (See story that appeared in the May issue of BOAT/US. Magazine.)

This particular race is famous for its stormy weather as it requires the fleet to sail 630 nm to the island of Tasmania though the notoriously rough Bass Strait. When a sudden storm developed, generating hurricane-force winds, the fleet was just crossing Bass Strait.

Seven boats were abandoned, five sank and 55 crew had to be rescued. Obviously weather was the major factor in the tragedy, but many questioned crew training and readiness as well as the timeliness of the weather alerts.

The review committee headed by past CYCA Commodore Peter Bush found that "no one single cause can be identified as responsible" for the multitude of incidents that occurred Dec. 27-28. While no single change can be recommended for future races, the report proposes a host of smaller changes that together, the committee believes, can minimize loss of life and aid rescue operations should a severe storm strike a racing fleet again.

The major factors in the disaster that the review committee focused on were adequacy of weather reports, crew training, safety equipment and radio communications. Their recommendations are:

Require the more accurate satellite 406-MHz EPIRBs on board all boats as well as an extra beacon for each entry's required life raft. Personal strobes, dye markers and newer harnesses will be required as well. (One crewman died when his harness tore apart and he was swept overboard.)

Require each entry to also have a hand-held VHF radio as a final resort for communications in a dismasting or life raft situation. Many racers were adrift for hours in life rafts in high winds and cold water awaiting rescue with no communications equipment.

* Add a weather forecaster to the Race Control Center in Hobart to issue "layman's" forecasts to the fleet through the radio relay vessel.

* Compulsory reporting of strong winds (above 40 knots) and wave heights by competing yachts.

* Compulsory attendance at prerace weather, safety and search and rescue briefings by 30% of each yacht's crew.

* Require qualifying races in order for boats to compete in distance offshore races such as Sydney-Hobart.

* No crew less than 18 years of age.

While the events of the 1998 race were tragic, the review committee found that the dismastings and roll-overs that caused the most damage and resulted in six deaths were due to some of the boats being hit by extraordinarily large waves. Whether one of these waves struck a particular boat was a "matter of chance."

The Notice of Race for the 1999 running of Sydney to Hobart has already gone out with the above changes now required.