Decision Simulator

SEA EAGLE — The Second String

SEA EAGLE
Creel fishing vessel (AH18) · Fishing grounds south-east of Montrose, Scotland · 20 December 2025
Source: MAIB Investigation Report 18/2026

3Decision Points 3Possible Outcomes —Avg. Play Time

The Situation

You're a lone creel skipper, fishing single-handed as always. You've hauled and reshot three strings this morning. Time's getting on and you're deciding how to handle the next two strings before heading back in. Carrying both at once on the shooting table would save a run back to this ground later in the week — but it means stacking gear three high and downstacking it during shooting.

The Lesson

For a single-handed operator, every safeguard — PFD, kill cord, PLB — only works if it's actually in use before the moment it's needed, because there will be no one else aboard to supply the one it's missing.

Human Element

There's no witness to what actually happened on the real Sea Eagle, and this scenario doesn't pretend to reconstruct the exact moment. What it tests is the chain of decisions around it: whether extra gear risk, PPE, and the kill cord get treated as one linked safety system for a lone operator, or as separate boxes ticked in isolation.

Try the First Decision

You decide whether to carry two strings at once today. What's your call?

A. Work one string at a time as usual — the extra handling from a double load isn't worth it single-handed

B. Carry both strings to save a return trip, same as you've done before without incident

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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