A LOCAL fisherman who drowned after falling overboard from his boat wasn’t wearing a life jacket, a report published by the Marine Casualty Investigation Unit (MCIU) today has said.
Well-know Dunfanaghy man Bill McKinley died in the tragedy off Horn Head on June 16 last year.
The report also found modifications had been made to the vessel which did not comply with regulations.
The ‘MFV Our Jenna’ left from Portnablagh on the morning of June 16 last year, and Mr McKinley fell overboard around the 2.30pm.
There were two crew members on board at the time – Mr McKinley and the skipper of the boat.
The report says after he had fallen overboard, the skipper had managed to secure the man in the water with a line around his waist.
Unapproved modifications to the lobster boat may have contributed to the death, according to the official report into the incident.
Sometime after baited pots had been set out ready to shoot, the skipper left his crewman, who was not wearing a personal floation device, on deck as he went to the wheelhouse to set the next waypoint and navigate to the location.
However, on arrival he looked out the wheelhouse door to see the crewman in the water off the starboard quarter, conscious and waving his arms – though he was not able to swim.
The skipper attempted a rescue with lifebuoys but the crewman was able to grasp them, prompting the skipper to bring the vessel right alongside and pass a line around the crewman’s waist to try to haul him above the waterline in what were described as choppy conditions.
Mr McKinley had lost consciousness by the time the skipper raised the alarm over VHF radio, and emergency services were unable to revive him when they reached the vessel some 45 minutes later. The cause of death was confirmed as drowning.
But the MCIB identified a more than two-metre opening in the transom bulwark created after the vessel’s most recent Document of Compliance with the Code of Practice has been issued – a modification that would not have conformed to standards.
Similarly, rubber laid on the deck after the boat’s last appraisal was of conveyer-belt grade without the same anti-slip properties as dedicated marine matting.
Any combinations of these factors could have resulted in the crewman going overboard, the report said.
The MCIB also noted that while not mandatory, the use of a safety harness “could well have prevented the incident from occurring”, and the report recommends relevant changes to the Code of Practice.
Mr McKinley was a highly respected member of the local community.
A recent bowls tournament was held in his memory.