Sailing experts from the British nautical magazine Yachting Monthly recreated eight nautical disasters as part of their “Crash Test Boat” study, ending with a gas explosion.
For the experiment, the same 12-meter yacht was sunk, capsized, set on fire and finally blown up — all in the name of safety.
The results featured in the book have turned conventional sailing wisdom on its head and earned praise from both safety experts and readers across the world.
“These are rare situations and when they do happen, people aren’t in a position to test every method for dealing with it,” Yachting Monthly technical editor Chris Beeson told CNN. “For example, if your mast breaks off, the age-old answer was to use bolt croppers to cut away the rigging and prevent more damage.
“But we found that hanging over the edge of the boat while it’s rocking around like a fairground ride, with both hands on the croppers, wasn’t practical. A simple hacksaw, which you could use with one hand, was much more effective.”
The controlled destruction was documented with multiple cameras, including shock-resistant cameras mounted on board.
The result will be a paperback book appropriately titled “The Crash Test Boat,” to be published in January.
In the meantime, the nautical carnage was posted on YouTube and has to date attracted more than one million clicks.
Click here for the full report by CNN.
