A New Providence man who went overboard and drowned during a yacht race from Rhode Island to Bermuda in June was not wearing a life vest and was not tethered to the boat despite rough seas, according to a report by American sailing’s governing body.
Colin Golder, 74, died at sea on June 19 while competing in the Newport Bermuda Race, a biannual 635-mile crossing from the Atlantic Coast seaport to the remote Island in the Gulf Stream.
Golder was an experienced skipper who had competed in 10 Newport Bermuda Races and owned the Morgan of Marietta, the 42-foot sloop that he and a seven-member crew were sailing the day he died, according to the report released Thursday by US Sailing.
The report was based on a review of the incident by a six-member safety panel convened by US Sailing following a joint request by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
It said the boat was under sail in winds of 15-20 knots, or 17-23 mph, with higher gusts and waves averaging 8-10 feet, with some double that height. It was just after noon, and Golder was seated in the cockpit with fellow members of his watch while another crew member was at the helm, the report said.
“Colin was not wearing a PFD [personal floatation device] and was not clipped in at the time of the incident,” the report stated.
A life vest and tether are customary in rough weather, but the report said other crew members did not press Golder to use them.
The report said a large wave crashed over the boat, washing Golder over the lifelines. One crew member reported having “the impression of being underwater” for a while, the report said, though that crew member and two others on the watch were tethered to the boat and remained onboard.
After Golder went overboard, the crew immediately responded with proper protocols, summoning others for help, throwing cushions into the sea to create a “debris field” on the water, naming a spotter to maintain visual contact with Golder and moving the boat back toward him, the report said.
The report said that despite the wind and waves, the crew managed to keep sight of Golder, throughout much of the 4- to 5- minute ordeal, connecting him to the boat with a sea sling, a horseshoe-shaped flotation device that he could place around himself.
“The crew of MOM properly executed man overboard procedures and reconnected Colin to the boat within 4 to 5 minutes, never losing sight of Colin,” the report states. “Their efforts in this regard are impressive, especially given the conditions.”
But Golder’s face began dipping under the surface of the water, and he appeared to lose consciousness before the crew could pull him up to the boat, the report said.
By the time he could be, his head had been below the surface, and he was unresponsive, presumed dead by the crew, which had difficulty bringing his 250-pound body back onto the deck, according to the report. Once the crew recovered his body, they headed west for the two-day journey to the boat’s home port of Perth Amboy.
“The conditions existing at the time of the incident clearly warranted use of a PFD combined with a harness and tether, and to be clipped in while on deck,” the report stated. “Colin’s failure to wear/use a PFD, harness, and tether proximately caused the POB incident and, ultimately, his death.”
No one answered the phone at Golder’s home.
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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com
