Yachting Monthly – March 2018

Deck cleat

Tether hook attached to yacht

(j ack- line not shown)

Loading

Tether webbing

Warning after safety harness tether failure

NEWS

Sailors who use jackstays and clipping

systems aboard are being urged

to make sure their tether hook

can’t become entangled in deck

fittings and other equipment.

The advice comes following the

death of Clipper Round the World

participant Simon Speirs, who went

overboard in the Southern Ocean

during a headsail change on

November 18, 2017.

The Marine Accident Investigation

Branch (MAIB) has issued the safety

bulletin as it continues to examine

the circumstances surrounding the

death of the 60-year-old CV30 Great

Britain crewmember.

He was using a three-point webbing

tether attached to the integral harness

of his lifejacket that allowed him to clip

on to the boat’s jackstays with a short

or long tether.

The MAIB’s initial findings reveal the

hook on the end of his tether that was

clipped to a jackline became caught

under a deck cleat, resulting in a lateral

loading that was sufficient to cause the

hook to distort and eventually release.

The harness tether was certified

under ISO 12401 (small craft – deck

safety harness and safety line – safety

requirements and test methods).

The MAIB said the tests to meet this

international standard assumed the

tether and its hooks would be loaded

longitudinally rather than laterally.

It stated Speirs’ tether hook was of

a conventional design and quality, and

was commonly used by manufacturers

of safety harnesses and tethers that

were certified under ISO 12401.

‘When loaded longitudinally, the

tether can withstand a load of over 1

tonne. However, when loaded laterally,

a tether hook will deform at much less

A tether hook, and

a tether hook after

lateral loading

Simon Speirs’ tether hook became caught on a deck cleat

Simon Speirs went overboard during

a headsail change

load. It is important that tether hooks

remain clear of obstructions and

are free to rotate to align the load

longitudinally,’ advised the MAIB.

‘To prevent the strength of a safety

harness tether becoming compromised

in service due to lateral loading on

the tether hook, the method used

to anchor the end of the tether to the

vessel should be arranged to ensure

that the tether hook cannot become

entangled with deck fittings or other

equipment,’ it added.

Adventure training skipper Rachael

Sprot from Rubicon 3 believes it would

be hard to negotiate all the obstacles

on the foredeck whilst tethered.

‘There are often a limited number

of places to clip on, especially in rough

weather during a headsail change, but

I have never heard of a harness line

failing in this way before,’ she said.

‘Much as this is a terribly sad event,

it does seem to be a freak accident

and a stark reminder that the risks

of ocean sailing can never be entirely

eliminated,’ added Sprot.

Clipper Round the World Race

organisers have already taken steps

to minimise a repeat of a tether hook

failure. All of its yachts now have 10mm

of rope wrapped around the cleats

to the point that the tether now slides

over them.

Chairman of Clipper, Sir Robin

Knox-Johnston, said it was important

to learn the lessons from the tragic

loss of Simon Speirs.

‘The Safety Bulletin from the MAIB

reinforces what we’ve said to crew at

our Sydney stopover and we’ve taken

steps to prevent a situation like this

ever occurring again,’ he explained.

‘Sailing is a safe sport but when

we see something like this, we need

to put our heads together to see what

we can do to remove the problem.’

The Marine Accident Investigation

Branch advises clipping on away from

deck fittings and other equipment

MAIB

OnEdition MAIB

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Email [email protected] Tel 01252 555 166