Very sad, a nice sail aboard a classic schooner on a fresh fall day turns deadly...
[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]One killed, 3 injured when mast breaks aboard schooner owned by actor Marc Evan Jackson[/SIZE][/HEADING]
The top of the tallest mast split and fell, striking multiple people Monday morning.
ROCKLAND — A woman was killed and three other people were injured Monday when the top of a mast broke loose and fell on them aboard the Grace Bailey, a schooner [partly owned by actor Marc Evan Jackson]('https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/10/youve-seen-him-on-tv-now-you-can-join-him-aboard-his-windjammer-in-rockland/').
The schooner, built in 1882 and restored in 1990, was about a mile east of Rockland Harbor at about 10 a.m. when the top of one mast split and fell, striking several people. The person killed was a passenger aboard the schooner, which was returning from a sold-out, four-night foliage cruise.
The woman who died had an apparent serious head wound and was taken off the schooner first Monday. The three other injured people were then taken from the ship and transported to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.
A passenger aboard the Grace Bailey said the accident happened “out of nowhere.” The passenger, who asked not to be identified, said the winds were not strong and the vessel had not made any sharp tacks when the incident occurred.
The Coast Guard began investigating the fatal accident Monday, said Ensign Matthew Bartnick, stationed in South Portland. He said the investigation will be handled by personnel from the Marine Safety Detachment in Belfast. Bartnick did not know when the Grace Bailey was last inspected by the Coast Guard or how often it was required to be inspected, but said that information would be part of the investigation.
The failure or snapping in half of a schooner mast, when no bad weather or collision is involved, is an extremely rare event, said Jim Sharp, who captained his own passenger schooners on the Midcoast for some 40 years. Sharp, who now runs the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland, was not aware of another time in his years of sailing when a mast failed on its own while the ship was sailing.
Sharp said the cause of such a failure would likely be rot created by fresh water from the rain getting into the wood at certain points along the masts, including where the metal wires that support the masts cut into them. He said regular maintenance is required to repair and seal any areas where fresh water can get into the wood. Sharp estimated that the Grace Bailey’s masts are around 75 feet high.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s unheard of,” said Sharp. “Usually these windjammers are very safe vessels. I know the man at the helm (Capt. Sam Sikkema) is not an inexperienced man.”
Sikkema, the captain of the Grace Bailey and one of Jackson’s three partners, released a statement on the accident Monday afternoon:
“My crew and I are devastated by this morning’s accident, especially since the safety of our guests is always our biggest priority. Most importantly, we are beyond heartbroken that we lost a dear friend.”
Sikkema did not respond to questions about the accident emailed and texted him by the Press Herald. Jackson responded to questions about the accident Monday by saying, “We have no comment at this time.” A third partner, Suzannah Smith, did not respond to questions sent through text and email from the Press Herald.
In a press release from its Boston office Monday evening, the Coast Guard said it responded to a report that the Grace Bailey had “demasted” around 10 a.m. and that four of the 33 people onboard suffered head and back injuries.
A Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat was dispatched to the schooner and then transferred one woman to shore, where she was pronounced dead. The Coast Guard boat then went back to take the other three injured people to shore and eventually to the hospital. The names of the people involved, including the woman who died, were not released.
“In this time of sorrow, we offer our deepest condolences to the grieving family, and our most heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to those harmed,” said Capt. Amy Florentino, the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England commander. “Our investigation aims to identify causative factors that led to this tragic incident.”
Charlie’s Marine Services commercial salvage personnel responded and towed the Grace Bailey to Rockport Harbor.
Jackson, who is known for his roles on TV shows “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” had been a part of several of the Grace Bailey’s overnight cruises this year but was not scheduled to be on this one.
He told the Press Herald earlier this year a major reason he wanted to be involved with the Grace Bailey is to help preserve the state’s fleet of windjammers – a term for a sailing vessel that takes vacationers on overnight cruises – and make Maine residents more aware of their existence and history.
According to the Grace Bailey’s website, the Rockland-based schooner had begun the foliage cruise Thursday and was set to return Monday. A folk trio called Skylark was scheduled to perform on the cruise. One of the musicians who was on board, A.J. Wright, declined in an email to give details of the accident, citing the Coast Guard investigation and the lack of information as to what happened.
“The captain and owners of the schooner have no additional information or knowledge of why the mast failed. Out of respect of the privacy of the crew and guests, no names or information about the passengers will be provided at this time, ” Wright wrote in an email to the Press Herald.
Jackson and his partners were offering a 40% discount to Maine residents this season and next. Standard cabin prices for upcoming dates range from $1,110-$1,720 per person, meals included, depending on date and duration. The trips last between three and six nights.
The 118-foot long, two-masted schooner has 15 cabins. The trips have no itinerary, Jackson told the Press Herald, so the various stops at Maine islands or in hidden coves are completely unscheduled.
Jackson, who lives in Los Angeles, grew up near Buffalo, New York, but was fascinated by Maine windjammers at an early age. He began applying to work as a deckhand on Maine schooners when he was 12 or 13. After college, he worked one summer as first mate on the schooner Mercantile out of Camden. Last year, after hearing the Grace Bailey may be for sale, he became a part of the new ownership group. The Grace Bailey had been previously owned by Ray and Ann Willamson of Camden, from 1985 to 2002, according to the ship’s website.
The Grace Bailey was built in Patchogue, Long Island, New York, in 1882 by Oliver Perry Smith and restored in 1990. It was named for owner Edwin Bailey’s daughter, according the ship’s website. In 1906, the ship was rebuilt and renamed form Mr. Bailey’s granddaughter, Martha, who was nicknamed Mattie. From 1906 until 1990, the schooner sailed using the name Mattie, but in the spring of 1990, after the restoration, the original name was used again.
“The City of Rockland extends our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victim,” the city stated in a news release from the Rockland Fire Department.
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