Contact made by general cargo vessel Wightstone with moored, unoccupied sailing yacht Rose Ryal

Location: River Medina, Isle of Wight, England.

Accident Investigation Report 26/2001

Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken, and recommendations:

wightstone.pdf

Summary

At approximately 1030 on 9 November 2000, the 439gt cargo ship Wightstone, hit an unoccupied pleasure yacht, Rose Ryal, on the River Medina, Isle of Wight.

Safety issues

The causes of the accident are a matter of speculation, but possible causes are:

  • steering gear power failure when the engine stopped; and

  • the small amount of port helm that existed at the time to steer the port curve in the narrow channel.

Recommendations

This report makes a number of recommendations to the owner of Wightstone to improve the safety of the vessel.

This report was published on 8 June 2001.

Published 23 January 2015