Sailing group says boat in fatal accident was unstable
CHARLEVOIX, Mich. — A sailing group says a boat that capsized during the Chicago-to-Mackinac race and claimed the lives of two crew members was unsuited for the competition because its sails were too big for its weight.
US Sailing’s report criticizes the design of WingNuts. The Kiwi 35 sport boat overturned July 18 in northern Lake Michigan off Charlevoix, killing skipper Mark Morley and crew member Suzanne Makowski-Bickel.
A competing vessel rescued the other six crew members.
The Detroit Free Press says the report calls the boat “highly inappropriate for a race of this duration ... in an area known to have frequent violent thunderstorms.”
The report says WingNuts had too little stability.
The race’s 2012 chairman Greg Thomas says stability requirements will be enacted for next summer’s event.