A YACHTING FATALITY.
SAD BSD OF A YOUNG MAN.
The yachting season had a sad beginning yesterday morning, when a young man named William McDonald, well known in yachting circles, came to his end in a sudden, and, so far, partially unexplained manner. It appears that Mr McDonald, who was a member of the crew of Messrs Chapman and Bannister’s yacht Thelma, went out yesterday morning from the shed near the Victoria wharf to bring in the yacht’s buoy, which was marking the moorings. The yacht Vixen, of which Mr P. Manning is part owner, was swinging at these moorings, her own having given way some time ago. Mr Manning, seeing, someone going towards his yacht, put out his dingey and went over to the yacht, where Mr McDonald acquainted him of his intentions. Mr Manning took off the hatch and went below to see about pumping out the water, in the yacht, and Mr McDonald took up his position at the bow of the vessel, and, pulling the buoy on board, loosed the chains from it. That was what he was doing, but Mr Manning, being below, did not see him. He, however, heard a sudden splash, and, looking up, saw that Mr McDonald had disappeared. He rushed to the side but could not see anything of him, and conjecturing that he had been dragged under by the chain, shouted to the people on the wharf for help, and began to feel for the body with a hooked pole. He noticed that the yacht had by that time drifted some distance from where the buoy had been, and he immediately jumped into the dingey and rowed to the spot. Several boats by this time had come out, and the spot was dragged with the small drag of the dredge near by. After about three-quarters of an hour the body of the young man was discovered, and the cause of his disappearance was explained. His legs were entangled in the chain, and this, with the addition of the weight of his heavy sea-boots, would have been quite sufficient to prevent him from rising to the surface. The body was removed to the Wharf Hotel, where an inquest was held at half-past three this afternoon by Coroner Graham.
Mr McDonald, who was an experienced yachtsman, was left to his own devices in dealing with the work of bringing in the buoy. Several explanations are offered for the cause of his death. It is suggested that as there was a good bit of the heavy mooring chain lying on deck, it may have started to run out, and catching the deceased’s leg pulled him overboard, or he may have passed the chain around his leg instead of fastening it to a cleat — a dangerous habit, but common, we understand, among yachtsmen. A third suggestion is that, he may have lost his balance when leaning over the side to get water to wash the buoy clear of its slime.
Deceased was about twenty-six years of ago, and had just launched out with his brother in financial life as a master jeweller. He had lived in Dunedin all his life till a little over two years ago, when he went with his brother to England to perfect himself in his profession. McDonald had been connected with yachting ever since the establishment of the Yacht Club, and there were few men on the bay who were more experienced. It may be mentioned that when he went Home the Shamrock had just been built, and McDonald proffered his services as one of the crew to the owner. Sir Thomas Lipton wrote back a kindly letter, telling the young man that had he had a vacancy he would gladly have given him the position, but the crew had been chosen some time before. He and his brother were clever musicians on the mandoline and guitar, and the deceased's absence from yachting gatherings will be much felt this season. -Evening Star, 23/9/1901.
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