Investigation clears owners of historic Maine schooner which suffered deadly mast collapse, killing passenger

Boston Globe

7 days ago

They did not recommend any disciplinary action or criminal prosecution against the ship's operators or crew, according to the report.
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The Grace Bailey set out on a four-day excursion from Rockland Harbor on Oct. 6, carrying 26 passengers and seven crewmembers, per the report. It was returning to port on the morning of Oct. 9 when passengers on deck reported hearing noises from the sailing vessel's rigging.
Scanning the rigging, the crew noticed the mainmast starting to bend, per the report. As the captain ordered everyone on deck to get down, the mast collapsed to starboard, striking six passengers including Mecklenburg.
Bleeding from the head, Mecklenburg began to lose consciousness. After receiving CPR, a Coast Guard crew arrived and took her ashore, where she was pronounced dead.
The final report found that the mast collapse was caused by severe internal rot, rather than improper rigging or operational stress. The rot went undetected by numerous inspections, a lapse the report attributed to inadequate methods and procedural limitations.
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As required by law, the Grace Bailey underwent regular inspections by Coast Guard surveyors, according to the report — including in May 2023, four months before the collapse. These inspections, however, were limited to visual reviews, conducted from deck level. The report noted that Coast Guard inspectors, by regulation, are restricted from climbing masts on third-party vessels without express authorization.
From the deck, there were 'no obvious visual signs' to indicate anything seriously wrong with the mast to warrant further inspection, the report said.
Investigators, however, later found that the rot had spread to several areas of both masts.
While the rot was masked by a thin layer of 'seemingly sound' exterior wood, a closer inspection of the masts would likely have detected the rot with physical methods, the report said.
The Grace Bailey's masts were replaced in 1993, and were temporarily removed, or unstepped, for further repairs in 2014. Federal regulations recommend that wood masts be unstepped for inspection every ten years, meaning the Grace Bailey was nearing its next recommended unstepping in 2024.
In a memorandum attached to the report, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Wayne R. Arguin said the agency would review the minimum frequency for mast inspection, and explore new, non-invasive methods to test wooden masts for rot.
The report also recommended that the Coast Guard consider 'appropriate recognition' for Grace Bailey passengers who provided emergency medical aid to Mecklenburg and the other injured passengers, as well as 'Good Samaritans' who arrived to help.
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at