Investigation reveals engine failure and grounding led to the skipper’s drowning near Macduff, Scotland.
Sandy Alexander, age 69, lived in Fraserburgh. He fished alone near Macduff on September 21, 2023, when his creel boat ran into trouble at Melrose Point. The boat hit ground then flipped over.
Mr. Alexander fell into the water and suffered a head injury and drowned. The report says the boat grounded around 11:09 AM at Melrose Point in Scotland. The skipper went overboard during the incident.
He had been fishing near the shore. Waves were between one and one and a half meters high, and the engine likely failed. The engine’s lower part probably hit a rock. This detachment caused the loss of power, which ultimately made the boat run aground. The skipper likely had little time to react.
He perhaps didn’t know about the detached engine part. The investigation could not determine his typical safety actions to address grounding risks. Mr. Alexander left Fraserburgh and drove to Banff to prepare his boat, Lexi Rose, for fishing. The boat departed around 8:30 AM for Melrose Point.
Another skipper, on the Chance, called Mr. Alexander at 10:51 while both fished near Macduff. Mr. Alexander returned the call a minute later. They talked about the weather and the waves near the rocks. They agreed the conditions were still safe enough and paired up to give support to each other.
The Chance moved east. Then, the Chance’s skipper heard a call on the radio: Mr. Alexander was panicking and yelling for a lifeboat, saying his engine had stopped. The skipper of the Chance answered, saying he was coming to help. Soon after, Mr. Alexander called again, sounding even more panicked.
At 11:10, the Chance’s skipper called the harbor master, thinking he could get the lifeboat. The harbor master did not answer initially, but at 11:12, he returned the call. About then, the Chance’s skipper saw Lexi Rose flipped over in a cove at Melrose Point.
A member of the public called the coastguard at 11:16. The Chance couldn’t enter the cove because of its size. The skipper searched for Mr. Alexander outside the cove and found the liferaft around 11:22.
At 11:37, the lifeboat arrived but couldn’t enter the cove because of the sea conditions. The lifeboat crew couldn’t see Mr. Alexander. At 12:00, a coastguard helicopter showed up and quickly spotted someone, who was Mr. Alexander, in the cove.
He wasn’t wearing a life jacket. They found him in shallow water by the rocks. The winchman entered the water. At 12:04, they pulled the skipper to the helicopter and, during the flight to Aberdeen, confirmed his death. They recovered the wrecked boat on September 27.
The report stated Mr. Alexander drowned. He sustained a major head injury, which likely knocked him unconscious. He also wasn’t wearing a life jacket. The report suggests he got too comfortable, working alone close to shore often, and didn’t realize how fast things could get out of control.
He knew where groundings were likely, but wave fluctuations surprised him. The outboard motor probably hit an underwater rock, and the swell made it worse. The boat had a VHF DSC radio, but he used a local radio channel instead. He tried to raise the alarm but likely didn’t have enough time to set the anchor, send a Mayday, or put on his life jacket.
His survival chance would have been better, and the accident may not have been fatal if he wore a life jacket. The MAIB made a safety flyer for the fishing industry to teach all possible lessons from this tragedy. Since the existing guidance is sufficient, they are not giving new recommendations.