Decision Simulator

Retractable Keels — The Missing Strap

RS Venture Connect
Small sailing keelboat · Windermere, England · 2019
Source: MAIB Safety Bulletin SB2/2019

3Decision Points 3Possible Outcomes —Avg. Play Time

The Situation

You're the assistant instructor for a Sailability session on Windermere, crewing an RS Venture Connect keelboat with a disabled sailor who has limited mobility. Conditions are gusty. The boat's 125kg lead bulb keel is designed to be held in the lowered position by a Velcro securing strap — a routine pre-sail check.

The Lesson

Pre-sail checks on keelboats with retractable keels must include physical verification that the securing strap is fitted. It isn't discretionary — an unsecured keel can turn a survivable capsize into a fatal inversion.

Human Element

The keel strap was a manufacturer-specified pre-sail check whose consequence — full inversion if capsized — was documented in the rigging guide, but the check wasn't treated as a deliberate step, and the disabled-sailing risk assessment had never been extended to cover a full-inversion rescue.

Try the First Decision

Before launching, you go through the pre-sail checks. The session is running a little behind schedule.

A. Physically check by hand that the keel securing strap is fitted and tight, per the rigging guide

B. Assume the strap's fine, as it usually is, and get the session moving

This is a preview — the full scenario branches from here based on what you choose, with real consequences and a debrief at the end.

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