After sailing from Colombia, the sailing cargo vessel De Gallant, over a century old, sank on Tuesday 21 May 2024 in the Bahamas. The French marine accident investigation authority BEAmer investigated the accident and finds the crew was essentially too small to handle the vessel’s rigging.
On 11 May 2024, the 28-metre cargo sailboat De Gallant, rigged as a gaff schooner, set sail from Santa Marta, Colombia, loaded with 22 tonnes of cargo. It was crewed by eight people: four professional sailors and four passengers. Its destination was Horta in the Azores.
De Gallant had no automatic controls, particularly for handling the sails. Its stability booklet had been reviewed and was satisfactory for this type of vessel.
The vessel was classed by the Dutch-based classification society Limdal Marine Services (LMS), which specialises in traditional sailing vessels. LMS is authorised to carry out inspections on behalf of the Vanuatu flag. It is not a member of IACS (International Association Of Classification Societies).
The vessel transited the Windward Passage (between Cuba and Haiti) on 19 May. Since setting sail, the easterly trade wind had been light, and the engine had assisted the sailboat for ten hours. On the evening of 20 May, De Gallant passed to the west of Great Inagua Island, under mainsail, foresail, staysail, jib and flying jib. As usual, the two topsails were hauled down before nightfall. The wind was easterly at ten knots, and the sailboat was heading at 70° to the wind at less than two knots.
The vessel’s total cargo weight was approximately 22.3 tonnes. Its cargo consisted of coffe, cocoa and sugar. The cargo was not lashed down, the bags were secured by close stowage and loaded up to the beams, thus limiting the possibility of cargo shifting.
Also read: Sailing cargo vessel capsizes and sinks, two missing
Thunderstorms spotted
At around 00.15 am local time (UT-5 or 05.15 am UTC) on 21 May, the first mate, concerned about the presence of thunderstorms below the horizon in the south, woke the master. After downloading the latest weather files and observing on radar, the master returned to bed after having the halyards put on deck to haul down the flying jib and mainsail if necessary. However, with the thunderstorms to leeward, he saw no real urgency.
At 02.00 am, the master took over the watch with a deckhand and two passengers. He resumed the radar watch and headed north to keep clear of a dubious echo in the northwest. The wind had freshened slightly and the sea was still calm, but the temperature had cooled. At around 03.15 am, the first raindrops fell on the vessel. The master decided to haul down the flying jib and mainsail and asked to wake up the resting watch.
The BEAmet notes that with a reduced crew, it could not be called upon as much as necessary. Passengers called out for manoeuvres cannot be counted as sailors or replace crew members in this type of operation.
Violent gusts of wind flatten vessel
Suddenly, at around 03.20 am, the first violent gust laid the boat flat at 90°, with water rushing into the wardroom that had been left open. The force of the wind made it impossible for the crew to haul down the flying jib.
On starboard tack, the sailboat came into the wind and partially righted herself. The master released the mainsail and foresail sheets and preventers, started the engine, put the helm hard to port and decided to drain the water. To do this, he went to the engine room, leaving the escape hatch on the port side open. A second gust occurred and the schooner was again laid flat. The engine room was immediately flooded and the master barely had time to get out.
The vessel began to sink by the stern. The master ordered abandoning ship and distributed survival suits, which the crew, mustered on the starboard stern against the deck-house, barely had time to put on. Two distress beacons were triggered and the master sent out distress messages. As he rushed to free the rafts, the vessel suddenly sank at around 3.30 am, in the north-east and around twenty miles from the island of Great Inagua.
Six people joined the rafts freed by the hydrostatic releases. Two professional sailors were reported missing. BEAmer notes that these were probably unable to extricate themselves from the debris of the vessel (rope, sail…). Forty minutes later, the wind dropped and the sea was again calm as a lake. At 06.45 am, the surviving crew were spotted by the US Coast Guard, who were unable to find the two missing crew members despite using considerable means.
Also read: Allianz: ‘Fire, collision, sinking and damaged cargo top causes of marine insurance losses’
Supercell
The investigation revealed that De Gallant had been in the trajectory of a thunderstorm supercell, just as it was reaching maturity (the period in the life of a cell when the phenomena of gusts, lightning and precipitation are at their strongest). This type of cell is not uncommon at these latitudes and can be anticipated by models, but their exact position is difficult to predict.
In this context, sailors should take particular care when sailing, especially if they observe thunderstorms and the day has been particularly hot. Variations in the barometer’s atmospheric pressure and the observation of a sudden change in temperature can be signs of the birth or proximity of a thundery supercell, particularly in tropical areas.
The weather conditions made it impossible to haul down the sails, particularly the flying jib, which is a high sail, and the small size of the freeing scuppers contributed to the vessel’s continued list. If the particularities and risks of this area had been taken into account, the vessel could have reduced its sail for the night.
‘Old vessel could not be crewed in the old style’
Sailing presents increased risks in the event of sudden weather phenomena, BEAmer points out. In this context, the shipowner was faced with the difficulty of reconciling economic constraints with operational requirements, due to the very limited volume of goods transported and the extended duration of the crossings.
The vessel, of old design, would have required a large crew, but this proved incompatible with the current high labour costs. The vessel was old, but could not be crewed in the “old style”.
The ship had not been modernised with the installation of automatic systems and remote controls, which would have enabled it to sail more safely with a reduced crew.
Also read: Unauthorised modifications bring about capsizing of Nicola Faith
Safety lessons
As sailing vessels are more sensitive to sudden weather phenomena than motor cargo ships, they must sail with extreme caution and be prepared to face strong and/or violent winds, hence the following safety lessons:
- In fine, warm weather, the arrival of a cold front or a low-pressure system with a strong supply of cold air from the upper atmosphere over a sea with high temperatures presents a risk of violent thunderstorms ahead of the front.
- When renovating an old sailboat, it is preferable to keep the original rigging so as not to alter the naval architect’s original design. Originally, De Gallant was rigged as a ketch, which is easier to handle than a schooner rig (note that when Blue Schoonder Company purchased De Gallant, it was already rigged as a schooner).
- The use of an old vessel as a cargo sailboat must take into account the relative weakness of today’s crews and adapt the rigging to facilitate manoeuvring, for example by adding winches and rigging the foresails on furlers.
- On vessels of less than 500 UMS, it is useful to have a small remote-startable bilge pump per room in addition to the main bilge pump.
- Keep the vessel as watertight as possible, particularly when there is a high risk of thunderstorms.
- As far as possible, the survival suit should be tried on by everyone and not be limited to a single demonstration.
- For older vessels, check the capacity of the seawater discharge systems (scuppers or ports) to evacuate large quantities of seawater accumulated on deck.
- Haul down the high sails at dusk, as was traditionally done to avoid tricky night-time manoeuvres in an emergency.
- Favour the use of modern cargo sailboats rather than old recycled vessels.
- Passengers must be regarded as such and must not be required for sail handling or any other activity.
To the flag state of Vanuatu, the BEAmer recommends to take into account the specific requirements for sail handling and not just those for motor sailing when determining minimum safe manning.
Also read: More oversight leads to safer historic sailing fleet
About De Gallant
The vessel De Gallant was built in the Netherlands in 1916 in Vlaardingen. Rigged as a ketch, the vessel was used for herring fishing until 1936, then it was motorised and used as a cargo vessel by a Danish shipowner until 1982. In 1986, the “Stichting Zeilschip De Gallant” foundation took over ownership of the vessel and refitted it as a schooner for use as a training ship. The work lasted from 1986 to June 1993 and was monitored by the classification society Register Holland.
Since 2017, it has been operated by BSC (Blue Schooner Company), a sailing company based in Landéda in North Finistère (France). The vessel operated in the Atlantic during the winter and in the European coastal trade during the hurricane season. It had made thirteen transatlantic crossings for the Blue Schooner Company. From the Caribbean Sea, it mainly carries coffee, cocoa and sugar.
In addition to the crew, the vessel took on passengers who wanted to discover traditional sailing on a cargo sailboat.
Photo: De Gallant (by Jean-Pierre Bazard, Wikimedia Commons).
