Tyger of London — The Keel Nobody Could See Into
Tyger of London
Sailing yacht (Comar Comet 45 Sport) · 1nm south of Punta Rasca, Tenerife, Spain · 7 December 2017
Source: MAIB Report 13/2019
The Situation
You're the skipper of a Comar Comet 45S cruising yacht, preparing for an offshore passage south past Tenerife. The boat has grounded before in her history, and her keel has never had a specialist structural inspection since — it looks sound from the outside.
The Lesson
Safety-critical structural components whose internal integrity can't be inspected in service depend entirely on the integrity of their manufacture. When that isn't independently verified, there's no safety net left if it fails.
Human Element
The keel had survived previous groundings and years of service, so its hidden fabrication defect stayed invisible to owner, designer, and every certification body — the keel had no valid CE approval, and once cast, the flaw could not be found by ordinary inspection.
Try the First Decision
Given the grounding history, you could arrange a specialist survey of the keel structure before this passage, or accept the keel as sound based on how she looks and sails.
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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