Lessons learned from sinking

by Rupert Holmes, Practical Boat Owner
Half a century has passed since the loss of Ted Heath’s 45-foot ocean racing yacht Morning Cloud 3, which claimed the lives of Christopher Chadd and Nigel Cumming, two of the seven crew on board.

The yacht was severely damaged by two mammoth waves off the South East England coast of West Sussex on September 2, 1974; the remaining crew abandoned ship before being rescued.

From the start, former UK Prime Minister Heath wanted to share as many details as possible about the tragic accident so the sailing community at large could learn from the experience.

The skipper of Morning Cloud 3 on that fateful voyage was Don Blewett, who wrote a long account, which was condensed and edited by yacht designer and journalist Julian Everitt for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s magazine, Seahorse. – Full report