This story will be updated.
U.S. Coast Guard officials have found that wood rot and insufficient inspections likely contributed to the breaking of a mast on the historic Maine schooner Grace Bailey in 2023, which killed a Rockland physician who was on board, according to a newly released report from the federal agency.
Among the problems were that the construction of the mast did not properly protect it from water damage, and the inspections by the Coast Guard and the ship’s owners had been insufficient. The Coast Guard had primarily done visual inspections of the mast, rather than using alternative methods such as lift cranes that allow for closer viewing and are recommended under some Coast Guard protocols, according to the report. It also found that medical attention was not delivered quickly enough after the collapse.
The authors of the report did not recommend any sanctions for Coast Guard workers, mariners or other people associated with the case. They did make nine recommendations for how the agency can work to prevent further mast collapses, including working with sailing groups and marine surveyors to better identify and record cases of fungal decay in wooden masts.
Built in 1882, the Grace Bailey was off the Rockland Breakwater on Oct. 9, 2023 when the top of one of its two masts broke off and fell, injuring three passengers and killing one, 40-year-old physician Emily Mecklenberg.
The ship is partly owned by the TV actor Marc Evan Jackson. Its website shows that it has resumed taking on passengers, with trips planned throughout this current summer.
The schooner’s owners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the years shortly before the 2023 demasting — under a different captain and ownership — the Grace Bailey had been involved in other reportable maritime incidents, including a collision that damaged the part of the ship which supports the masts.
