A Bristol family have made a donation of £140,000 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in memory of well-known yachtsman, Simon Speirs who lost his life during a round-the-world-race in 2017. Mr Speirs, 60 was swept overboard in stormy seas in the Southern Ocean about 1,500 miles off the Australian coast on Day 18 of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race.
A father of four and retired solicitor, Mr Speirs was known as a keen yachtsman and was fulfilling his dream of competing in the tough ocean race as part of Team Great Britain on yacht CV30. According to reports, he was on the foredeck assisting with a headsail change when he was swept overboard by a large wave, although tethered.
The crew immediately launched a recovery operation in the high seas and managed to get him back on board within 36 minutes. Despite CPR, Mr Speirs did not regain consciousness and died.
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This week, Mr Speirs' son Michael said the £140,000 donation to charity was from the proceeds of a settlement with the race organiser, with no admission of liability. He said: "We believe that supporting the RNLI is the best way to honour our dad's memory. He loved the sea and was a strong advocate for maritime safety, we hope that by donating this money we can help the RNLI continue to save lives at sea."
With regard to the donation, a spokesperson for the RNLI said: 'We are very grateful to the Speirs family for their generous donation which will be used to fund the casualty room at the new Tower Lifeboat Station on the River Thames in London. This new facility will provide a dedicated space for the treatment of casualties and will include state-of-the-art equipment to aid lifesaving work at the RNLI’s busiest lifeboat station.'
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A spokesperson from Clipper Round The World Yacht Race said: “Simon was a good man and continues to be missed by all at the Clipper Race who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Last month, Clipper Ventures’ insurers made a no admission of liability settlement to the Speirs family. We understand there has been a donation to the RNLI which is a charity that does great work and this donation is a very fitting tribute to someone who loved the sea.”
Mr Speirs was buried at sea following the tragedy with the service being led by CV30 skipper, Andy Burns and crew which was followed by his family at home. Mr Speirs was regarded as a highly experienced sailor, holding a Coastal Skipper Licence and had 40 years dinghy experience.
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He had also completed additional training, successfully completing the Clipper Race Coxswain Certificate (CRCC) ahead of the race and the four weeks compulsory training which all crews participating in the race had to complete which concentrated on safety at sea.
An investigation was held by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). Its report said all the crew were tethered to the boat but before he could be recovered, Mr Speirs’ safety tether hook “distorted” and suddenly released.
“He was recovered, with no signs of life, from the water by the crew and could not be resuscitated,” said the MAIB report. When the report was released, the Speirs family slammed the organisers and MAIB, saying there were further lessons to be learned from the tragedy.
