One person has been killed and three injured, after the main mast of historic excursion vessel Grace Bailey snapped and crashed onto the deck off the coast of Maine, officials said.

The 141-year-old schooner Grace Bailey is part of Maine’s so-called windjammer fleet; sailing vessels that take people up and down the coastline. According to the vessel’s official website, the 36-metre ship can carry 29 passengers and was built in Long Island, New York, in 1882.

In a statement, the ship’s owner says Grace Bailey had been returning from a four-day cruise, when the incident occurred on Monday (9 October 2023). A total of 33 people were on board the vessel, which was cruising 1.6km off the coast of Rockland Harbour.

A nearby Coast Guard vessel was on the scene and began an evacuation of passengers within minutes of the mast’s failure.

Officials reported one death, while three injured people were transported to hospital on Monday. The names of the victims have not been released.

Charlie Weidman, owner of Charlie’s Marine Service, was first on the scene. Speaking to Associated Press, Weidman says that he saw one person receiving CPR, while another victim had a head injury and two others had crush and spinal injuries.

“It is an unforeseen circumstance,” Weidman told AP. “No one trains to have a giant mast break on a schooner. Everyone acted with professionalism. Everyone was doing the best they could with the gifts that they had.”

“My crew and I are devastated by this morning’s accident, especially since the safety of our guests is always our biggest priority. Most importantly, we are beyond heartbroken that we lost a dear friend,” the vessel’s captain, Sam Sikkema, says in a statement.

The operators of Grace Bailey say they had no idea why the mast failed. The US Coast Guard will conduct a full investigation into the incident, they add.

“In this time of sorrow, we offer our deepest condolences to the grieving family, and our most heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to those harmed,” Capt. Amy Florentino, the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England commander, says in a statement. “Our investigation aims to identify causative factors that led to this tragic incident.”

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