Video is a medium that has the potential to speak to us like no other. While it is said a picture is worth a thousands words, it’s impossible to calculate the value of moving images. Combined with sound, they can tell us as compelling a story as we can get without actually going through the experience.
I just finished watching the CBC News Fifth Estate program about the incident aboard the tall ship Picton Castle that lead to the death of Laura Gainey last December. The entire program video is posted on the Fifth Estate website (click here). This episode was appropriately called Overboard and I found it to be a powerful and at times disturbing investigative report. I strongly encourage you to watch and draw your own conclusions.
I have previously written about this tragic loss here, here, here and here.
Technorati tags: CBC, Fifth Estate, Laura Gainey, Picton Castle, Overboard
Sea-Fever blog 
Sherry;
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
There are clearly no winners in this very tragic story. Really the only positive that could come out of this is increased safety and situational awareness which may help mitigate similar catastrophic incidents in the future.
That report is incredible. What a waste of life. How incredibly heartbreaking for her father. I agree that sailing the old way is okay but that there is no reason to eschew modern safety equpiment and standards. Laura Gainey did not have to die that night. The most horrific thing it that they heard her but could not locate her. That poor,poor girl. It is a tragedy and I cannot believe it has gone unpunished.
If Captain Westmoreland is, indeed, as concerned as her says he is he should be leading crusades to ensure that this type of thing never,ever happens again to anybody on any ship. He comes across just as Laura’s dad describes. He doesn’t walk the walk. He doesn’t seem concerned with the accident. If something like that happened on a ship of mine, I would be a gibbering mass of jelly just enduring the scrutiny of the press. I would be so exremely upset that I would not be able to do anything except dock the ship for a long time. Captain Westmoreland seems to feel no remorse at all for this traged, much less responsibility.
Interesting indeed! The issue of sleep deprivation could possibly have been an important cause. While STCW mandates rest hours (I’m not clear if they followed them here) they don’t tell what to do in your time off. Most people sleep at least 6 of their 12 hrs off but some people spend the time socializing, playing video games or watching movies. As you can imagine, training ships would be the most prone to this dangerous condition. -John