Sailing Zephyr IVvideo
Why This Sailing Accident Shouldn't Have Happened
18 May 2026 · 10 min · 53K views · Fareham Channel, Portsmouth Harbour
Zephyr IV plows forward, moments before collision
What this video covers
Dave, the 81-year-old owner of Zephyr IV, a Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanquest 35, collided bow-first with a moored boat in Portsmouth Harbour's Fairham Channel in September, bending the anchor shaft 30 degrees, buckling the stemhead fitting, cracking three stainless steel sheets, and damaging the pulpit and navigation light.▶ 0:06 The incident began when Dave turned back from the Solent in 30-knot winds gusting to 40, then chose to continue sailing up the harbour to give guests Richard and Lucy a sail rather than return directly to Royal Clarence Marina.▶ 3:05 In the Fairham Channel at around 4 knots with 10–20 knots of wind, a squall from a completely different direction than the prevailing wind laid Zephyr IV flat, overpowered the helm, and caused her to round up into a moored vessel.▶ 3:32 Dave identifies three failures: sailing to please guests rather than following his own weather threshold; not knowing that the collision site is a locally known turbulence zone called Windy Corner, unmarked on charts; and having no crew member stationed on the mainsheet ready to ease it instantly.▶ 6:19 Insurance was handled by Haven Knox Johnston.▶ 9:06 Both boats were fully repaired by May 2026.▶ 9:35 A sudden wind shift from astern is unmanageable without a dedicated mainsheet hand ready to let it fly immediately.▶ 8:41
Boats in this video
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