Report blames 'Cabin Fever' crew for sinking

The ship that ran aground while being used for an RTÉ reality television show sank because crew and contestants were tired after…

The ship that ran aground while being used for an RTÉ reality television show sank because crew and contestants were tired after a late night out, a report has found.

The 60-foot Cabin Fevervessel, on a survival voyage around Ireland, was smashed to bits in seas off Co Donegal after it struck rocks on the coast of Tory Island in 2003.

A report by the Marine Casualty Investigations Board (MCIB) found the crew members, hired to guide the vessel around notoriously dangerous Irish waters failed to keep a proper lookout.

Officials at the MCIB criticised the crew for not ensuring at least one experienced member was on deck at all times. The report also noted a "special feast" had been laid on for the crew and contestants on Tory Island the night before the crash.

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But the report stated all nine were back on board by 12.30am and kept watch through the night before setting off on the fateful voyage around the island.

Lee Gooch, a contestant who swam to shore from the sinking ship before being airlifted from the rocks, admitted a party was laid on. "We did have a fabulous feed," he said. "But we did only have three bottles of wine among nine contestants and it was only about two glasses of wine and we had a big meal.

"But we had not had a drink prior to that for a couple weeks so it probably would go to your head."

The schooner was destroyed after it ran aground on the southern end of Tory Island off the Donegal coast on June 13th, 2003. All nine contestants, battling for prize money of €100,000, and two crew survived the accident.

Some swam to shore and a number were winched to safety by helicopter. With two experienced sailors on board, the MCIB stated the crew were down one man and forced to pick up the extra workload also causing tiredness.

The MCIB found that filming the reality show on board the ship had interfered with the proper running of a ship at sea, and officials said the crew did not make a clear requirement for at least one of the two experienced sailors to be on deck at all times while at sea.

PA