Death by electric winch

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is a UK government organization, authorized to investigate all maritime accidents in UK waters and accidents involving UK registered ships worldwide. In their report on November 27, 2025, they provide the details about a bad day on the water:

Shortly before 12:18 on August 5 2025, the skipper of the New Zealand registered recreational sailing vessel Mollie died on board after becoming entangled in a powered winch approximately 2.8 nautical miles south‑south-west of the Needles Lighthouse, Isle of Wight, England.

Earlier in the day, Mollie had departed from West Wittering for a passage to Poole with the skipper and three crew on board. The skipper, Lyall Babington, was a 74-year-old New Zealand national who had set off from New Zealand about 3 years earlier, intending to sail Mollie around the world.

The vessel was the skipper’s permanent residence and he had engaged crew in the various ports he visited to assist him with his planned voyage. These crew were unpaid and contributed to their on board living costs. Two of the crew had joined Mollie the day before the accident, the third crew member had been on and off the vessel for about 5 months. – Full report