Cowes Week Limited

Private and voluntary organisations · Private limited company

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First report 28 Mar 2019•Latest report 28 Mar 2019

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Reports: 1
Published responses: 100%
Concerns addressed: 5
Stated actions: 7

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Cowes Week Limited linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

28 Mar2019
Isle of Wight
Concerns raised5
1. Failure to monitor and record safety channels for incident response
2. Failure to coordinate manpower for incident response
3. Insufficient ambulance capacity for emergency incidents during major events
1. Inadequate criteria for abandoning racing during a major incident
2. Omission of readily accessible safety knives from mandatory safety equipment requirements
Actions described in response 3
1. Action
  Implement safety-channel monitoring and recording arrangements with independent safety radio monitors and race radio operators.
2. Action
  Discuss additional ambulance support internally and report back on the proposal.
3. Action
  Review strong-wind and incident race-abandonment criteria, including alternative mainland casualty drop-off points.
Respondent positions 2
1. Position
  Ensuring all boats carry suitable knives is outside the organiser’s control, although recommendations will be communicated to competitors.
  Outside remit
1. Position
  Without accepted standards for knife numbers, locations or boat sizes, defining suitable requirements is difficult for the organiser.
  Unable to act
AI-generated summary

Wayne Andrew ROGERS · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Wayne Andrew ROGERS, aged 62, died after being thrown from a racing yacht and dragged through the water when a spinnaker sheet became caught around his ankle during Cowes Week. He was rescued, received CPR, and was pronounced dead at hospital; the medical cause of death was drowning. The report raised concerns about ambulance capacity and emergency response arrangements, safety equipment, race abandonment criteria, and the use of continuous sheets on boats.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Cowes Week Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to monitor and record safety channels for incident response
Wider context from the report
“4) A review needs to be carried out of the Crisis Management Plan, with an emphasis on monitoring and recording of safety channels and manpower coordination for incident response. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Cowes Week Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to coordinate manpower for incident response
Wider context from the report
“4) A review needs to be carried out of the Crisis Management Plan, with an emphasis on monitoring and recording of safety channels and manpower coordination for incident response. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Cowes Week Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Insufficient ambulance capacity for emergency incidents during major events
Wider context from the report
“1) I was informed that during the course of Cowes Week Sailing Festival that there are approximately 7,000 competitors who travel to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to participate in the various events. In this instance, it was fortunate that an ambulance was available to convey the casualty to the hospital as an emergency. However, there are a finite number of ambulances on the Isle of Wight, and they are often overstretched to carry out routine work, without the possibility of an incident happening during this Sailing Festival. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Cowes Week Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Inadequate criteria for abandoning racing during a major incident
Wider context from the report
“6) A review needs to be carried out of the criteria for abandoning racing in the event of a major incident. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Cowes Week Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Omission of readily accessible safety knives from mandatory safety equipment requirements
Wider context from the report
“5) A review needs to be carried out of the published list of mandatory safety equipment, including mention of readily accessible safety knives. ”
Open source report
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Implement safety-channel monitoring and recording arrangements with independent safety radio monitors and race radio operators.

Verbatim wording from the response
“4) I can confirm that we have fully taken on board all of the recommendations in the investigative report with regards to monitoring and recording safety channels as well as the manpower requirements.”

Source location
2019-0105-Response-by-Cowes-Week-Limited
Page 1 · response
Published 9 June 2019
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Discuss additional ambulance support internally and report back on the proposal.

Verbatim wording from the response
“1) With regards to the additional ambulance support proposal, this is something that we are discussing internally and on which I will revert to you on.”

Source location
2019-0105-Response-by-Cowes-Week-Limited
Page 1 · response
Published 9 June 2019
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Review strong-wind and incident race-abandonment criteria, including alternative mainland casualty drop-off points.

Verbatim wording from the response
“6) We are reviewing again the criteria for abandoning racing in the case of strong winds and / or an incident. We feel this worked well in 2018 but further work is being undertaken in this regard to ensure that any lessons learned are taken on board. In particular we are looking at alternative drop off points for casualties on the mainland, if that is nearer to an incident location or is an easier location to reach in certain wind conditions. This was not the case in this instance.”

Source location
2019-0105-Response-by-Cowes-Week-Limited
Page 2 · response
Published 9 June 2019
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Ensuring all boats carry suitable knives is outside the organiser’s control, although recommendations will be communicated to competitors.

Verbatim wording from the response
“5) Some of the recommendations are outside our control in terms of delivery (as an example the fact that all boats should carry suitable knives) but despite that being the case we will be making the recommendations known to our competitors, both through our sailing instructions (where appropriate) and our safety booklet where appropriate. There are no accepted standards for how many knives should be carried, in what locations, on what size of boat, so we think it would be difficult for Cowes week to lead the way in trying to define that. Nonetheless the necessity to have a sharp knife on board, whilst being known to most sailors, is something that we will reinforce.”

Source location
2019-0105-Response-by-Cowes-Week-Limited
Page 2 · response
Published 9 June 2019
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Without accepted standards for knife numbers, locations or boat sizes, defining suitable requirements is difficult for the organiser.

Verbatim wording from the response
“5) Some of the recommendations are outside our control in terms of delivery (as an example the fact that all boats should carry suitable knives) but despite that being the case we will be making the recommendations known to our competitors, both through our sailing instructions (where appropriate) and our safety booklet where appropriate. There are no accepted standards for how many knives should be carried, in what locations, on what size of boat, so we think it would be difficult for Cowes week to lead the way in trying to define that. Nonetheless the necessity to have a sharp knife on board, whilst being known to most sailors, is something that we will reinforce.”

Source location
2019-0105-Response-by-Cowes-Week-Limited
Page 2 · response
Published 9 June 2019
Open published response

Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Concerns raised5

Failure to monitor and record safety channels for incident response

Failure to coordinate manpower for incident response

Insufficient ambulance capacity for emergency incidents during major events

Inadequate criteria for abandoning racing during a major incident

Omission of readily accessible safety knives from mandatory safety equipment requirements

Actions described in response An action is something this recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3

Respondent positions A position is what this recipient says about the concern when it does not describe a specific action.2

Actions described in response 3

Respondent positions 2