A 74-year-old sailor died after being pulled into a faulty winch on his round-the-world voyage, a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report has found.
Lyall Babington, a New Zealander, sustained catastrophic injuries when his hand became caught in a rope and he was drawn into the winch, becoming 'tightly wound' around its drum. Crew members tried to stop the winch but could not save him.
Babington had been living aboard his 17-metre yacht, Mollie, for three years, having set off from New Zealand. On 5 August, the yacht left West Wittering, West Sussex, heading for Poole, Dorset. At 11am, south-south-west of the Needles off the Isle of Wight, Babington attempted to raise a sail when the winch activated.
The MAIB report stated: 'The winch continued to turn and the skipper was progressively pulled tighter onto the winch drum.' When an RNLI lifeboat and rescue helicopter arrived, the winch unexpectedly turned on again, dropping Babington onto the deck.
Investigations revealed the winch had a known defect causing it to stay on after the control switch was released. The MAIB concluded the winch was defective.
