The U.S. Coast Guard has released the findings of its investigation into the collapse of a wooden mast on the Schooner Grace Bailey in Rockland two years ago that killed Dr. Emily Mecklenburg and injured five others.
The report lists nine safety recommendations for the process of maintaining and inspecting wooden masts.
Commander William Wallen, the lead investigator, said the visual inspection of the Grace Bailey's masts revealed no problems.
"The anomaly with these masts is that there was no visual indicator that would have directed somebody to complete more in-depth inspections in any way," Wallen said.
He said further testing discovered that moisture and fungus were among factors that led to the mast's decay and collapse.
Unstepping, or taking down the mast for rigorous inspection, must occur every 10 years, according to Wallen. But he said that was clearly not adequate in the case of the Grace Bailey.
"We certainly found stuff that pointed toward a need to unstep the mast more often. Whether that can be expanded to the entire fleet of vessels we can't say that from the investigation, but it's certainly something the inspections experts and the Coast Guard will be looking at," Wallen said.
Wallen said the Grace Bailey was last unstepped in 2014. The trip she was taking in October 2023 was her last before undergoing extensive maintenance.
The recommendations also say that boat owners should have a written Prevention Maintenance Plan that requires mast material record-keeping, best practices for non-destructive wood mast inspections, and training for crew on those practices. Wallen said the Grace Bailey did not have a Prevention Maintenance Plan.
He said the Coast Guard will put an action plan in place reflecting the recommendations, including revisions or updates to its
Navigation and Vessel Inspection rules.
In a statement, the crew of the Gracy Bailey said they continue to hold Emily in their hearts and are grateful for recommendations that will make wooden sailing vessels safer.
