Sinking of motor cruiser Last Call in heavy weather with loss of 3 lives
Location: Off Whitby, England.
Accident Investigation Report 11/2008
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and subsequent recommendations:
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Summary
On 23 November 2007, the 7.34m motor cruiser Last Call attempted to leave the port of Whitby. The boat was overwhelmed by the force of the large seas that had developed at the harbour’s entrance, and all three of the crew lost their lives.
Safety Issues
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the skipper’s and crew’s lack of training and qualification in the use and operation of small craft contributed significantly to the accident
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the port information pack produced by Whitby harbour needed to be more comprehensive and include information about the local effects caused by northerly winds
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there are no official instructions or advice for the importers of craft into the UK in respect of their responsibilities under the Recreational Craft Directive
Recommendations
Recommendations have been made to The British Ports Association, designed to improve the local information provided to leisure craft operators; to BERR to seek from the EU, clarification of the requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive with respect to improved safety standards; to Bayliner and IMCI, to reassess the RCD compliance of the 245SB model and; to the British Marine Federation (BMF), MCA, RNLI and RYA designed to promote appropriate training for operators of leisure vessels.
This report was published on 30 June 2008.