Dragging anchor and contact with overhead cable by sailing yacht Pinocchio resulting in fire and 1 person injured

Location: Near Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland.

Completed PE Summary: Yacht Pinocchio

A short summary of the accident and action taken:

Recreational Craft/Accident Details
Vessel Name Pinocchio
Registered Owner Privately owned
Flag UK
Type Yacht
Length Overall 7.9m
Date/Time 03/06/2004, 1428
Location of Incident Strangford harbour area
Incident Type Contact and fire
Injuries/Fatalities Owner suffered burns on right arm
Damage/Pollution Constructive total loss of vessel

Synopsis

While anchored in the Comber River, near Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland the yacht Pinocchio dragged her anchor and her masthead made contact with overhead 11,000 volt power cables. The owner received an electric shock and suffered burns to his right hand and arm. The yacht caught fire and was completely destroyed.

Action taken

The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents wrote to the Northern Ireland Electricity Powerteam supporting the actions identified in their internal inquiry into the accident which included promulgating the lessons learned through the electricity supply industry.


Updates to this page

Published 23 January 2015