Yacht Collides with Tanker Wake at Lock, Skipper Sustains Injuries

Image Credits: Yachtschule Eichler

A recent report from Yachtschule Eichler highlights an incident involving a training sailboat that faced a serious mishap while entering a lock in Brunsbüttel, Germany, on teh evening of May 24. The sailboat was caught in the turbulent wake of a nearby tanker, leading to significant damage and injury.The vessel in question is the Elbe Express,an 11.5-metre (38-foot) sailboat built for training purposes by the Hamburg-based sailing school. This boat is recognized by the German Maritime Accident Insurance Association and frequently navigates both local waters and broader seas like the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

During its approach to one of Kiel Canal’s locks, Elbe Express encountered what’s known as “screwwater,” which is essentially chaotic water movement caused by a tanker’s propellers.At that moment, another tanker was already secured inside the lock chamber when Elbe Express lost control due to this disturbance. The impact resulted in its mast colliding with part of the tanker before breaking off entirely.

As fate would have it, when the mast snapped, parts of its rigging fell onto the skipper, trapping her against the boat’s railing. Fortunately, emergency responders from Brunsbüttel acted swiftly; they used specialized equipment to free her before she was airlifted to receive medical attention at a nearby hospital.

Yachtschule Eichler later reported that while she sustained injuries including broken ribs and bruises—thankfully not life-threatening—she has as been discharged and is recovering at home but feeling somewhat restless during her recovery period.

The following day saw officials from BG verkehr conduct an initial safety inspection on Elbe Express; they deemed it fit for navigation again under new leadership from skipper svenja as it made its way back to Hamburg. However,all scheduled sailing activities for that week were put on hold as they awaited replacement rigging parts coming from denmark—a process expected to take about a week.

In their public statement post-incident, Yachtschule Eichler expressed gratitude towards their crew members along with local authorities who responded promptly during this crisis situation. They also clarified some media inaccuracies regarding how common such incidents can be during lock entries; similar wake-related disturbances have occurred previously without severe outcomes thanks largely to safety measures like large fender tires on tankers designed specifically for such scenarios.

Interestingly enough though no formal inquiry will be conducted by Germany’s Federal Bureau of Maritime casualty Investigation (BSU), Yachtschule Eichler performed their own internal review concluding that given limited options within confined spaces like locks—accelerating through may sometimes be necessary when facing imminent danger.

Currently engaged in discussions with experienced professionals at Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV), they’re exploring strategies aimed at preventing future occurrences similar to this one while emphasizing caution among all vessels approaching lock chambers until conditions are clearly safe again.

Meanwhile, well-wishes continue pouring in for their injured skipper as Yachtschule Eichler remains committed not only towards recovery but also enhancing safety protocols across all operations moving forward.