Boating event hit by storm.... 80 dinghies involved

appears it was a GP14 world championship event. With any large organised event like this, especially with 80 dinghies involved, telling everyone that the event is cancelled because there is a possibility of some high winds takes some courage....but would in retrospect have been the right call... but so easy to be wise sitting on the side lines after an incident has occurred

news update states at least 10 injured.
 
Firefly625 said:
appears it was a GP14 world championship event. With any large organised event like this, especially with 80 dinghies involved, telling everyone that the event is cancelled because there is a possibility of some high winds takes some courage....but would in retrospect have been the right call... but so easy to be wise sitting on the side lines after an incident has occurred

news update states at least 10 injured.
Click to expand...

No, just common sense!

The Round Britain race start, was also postponed & they are experienced sailors in RTW boats, so why are dingies different?
 
Sonething similare happened at a regatta in Dun Laoghaire some years ago. About 100 kids sailing when a short sharp squall knocked them down. A muppet on shore panicked and needlessly triggered the largest SAR operation in the countries history despite the kids righting the dinghies themselves. The situation had stablized before the SAR resources arrived on scene including helis, lifeboats, coast guard, naval assets, civil defence, and dozens of ambulances. In that case thankfully it proved a gross overreaction misreported and inflated by a media frenzy.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0705/90879-dunlaoghaire/
 
MCIB report into the Dun Laoghaire incident. http://www.mcib.ie/reports/?-fromsearch=y&-skiprecords=67&-maxrecords=1

The safety boats were sufficent to handle the incident and a SAR response was not needed but the panic button was pushed triggering the biggest land, sea and air SAR response since fastnet 79. Bemused kids sailing back into Dun Laoghaire harbour thought there had been some massive incident ashore when they saw the fleets of fire engines and ambulances. A case of "Thunderbirditis".
 
A case of the 'PANIC' button being pressed. I have a number of friends competing there. 1st race had been completed, second race was cancelled due to increasing wind strength. Fleet was making it's way in when 31 & 37 knot gusts hit, capsizing up to 12 boats (out of 88 that had 'tallied on') to race. Organising club had 13 rescue and support boats for the fleet and I'm sure would have adequately coped. The competitors at this type of event are not novices and of those I have spoken to expressed surprise at the scale of the 'incident response' and the inaccurate news reporting. Two people needed hospital treatment which is never good but I believe only for minor injuries.
 
I live a few miles from East Down Yacht Club. Everyone was accounted for immediately. I called when I first heard it on the news and East Down said it was all fine. Made headline news here but was all worse than it appeared. Great to here everyone was okay and those 8 or so hurt were in A&E asap.
Great publicity for the local club and the GP14 World Championships
 
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