The safety of the approximately 700 sail-training vessels in the world’s oceans has been called into question by a probe into the sinking of the Canadian tall-ship Concordia off Brazil.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is calling for improved training of sailing ship officers after it found the officer in charge of the Concordia didn’t realize the vessel was in danger of sinking. “Consequently, appropriate action — such as reducing sail or changing course — was not taken before the squall hit,” said board member Jonathan Seymour.
The Concordia capsized and went down on Feb. 17, 2010. The 64 passengers, teachers and crew spent nearly two days in lifeboats before all were rescued by two merchant vessels.
