The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a slew of safety recommendations for tall ships — largely focused on maintaining wooden masts — after a historic schooner’s mast broke and killed a women less than two years ago.

The inside of the Grace Bailey’s main mast had rotted after moisture seeped in, leaving it weak and vulnerable to snapping, the Coast Guard stated in a recently released report. Meanwhile, the boat’s operator failed to properly inspect the mast or keep adequate records, at times delegating responsibilities to an untrained mate, according to the report.

The 95-page document follows the Coast Guard’s investigation into the 2023 incident, in which the mast of a Rockland boat that offers vacationers tours of the coast snapped and fell onto passengers below, killing one person and injuring five others.

Moving forward, the Coast Guard will work with maritime industry groups, maritime surveyors and the U.S. Forest Service to determine “characteristics and conditions that can precede, influence or contribute to fungal decay” and create methods of inspecting and documenting decay. Maritime inspectors are already required to provide detailed descriptions of a vessel’s “rig and associated gear,” but the new recommendation is intended to create a standardized format for noting mast conditions, according to the report.

A two-masted schooner originally built in 1882 and restored in 1990, the Grace Bailey was on its way back from a four-night foliage cruise, carrying 33 people, when its 70-foot main mast snapped in October 2023.

The broken mast fell on several people, including Emily Mecklenburg, a doctor who worked in the MaineHealth system. A Coast Guard boat carried her to shore, where she was declared dead. The boat had been involved in other accidents, but this was its first fatality, the Press Herald reported at the time.

ROTTEN INSIDE

The Coast Guard’s inspection found several factors that contributed to the break.

The inside of the mast showed “extensive internal decay due to fungal growth,” spurred by a “significant and sustained moisture intrusion,” according to the report. The Coast Guard also cited poor inspection and training procedures, ineffective preservation treatments and a bad choice of mast material. The mast was made of Douglas fir and lacked a treated outer shell that might have helped keep out moisture.

Those onboard also missed multiple “audible warnings” — creaking wood and rigging — in the hour before the mast broke, though the sounds’ significance may not have been clear to untrained passengers.

Despite the policy recommendations, the Coast Guard did not recommend taking any punitive action, including criminal prosecution against anyone involved.

The company that owns the vessel cooperated fully with federal officials during their investigation, it said in a written statement. It thanked the Coast Guard for making recommendations “for the benefit of all wooden sailing vessels.”

“The Grace Bailey crew continues to hold Emily closely in our hearts and minds and reflect on that tragic day,” the company said. “After a thorough overhaul of the Grace Bailey and passing a regular safety inspection by the Coast Guard, the Grace Bailey is back sailing, allowing our passengers to enjoy the beauty of Maine’s coastline.”

Terrance Burke, a spokesperson for the company, declined to comment on the Coast Guard’s claims of inadequate inspections and record-keeping, or specify what materials were used in the repair.

The vessel was last inspected June 6, according to the Coast Guard’s Maritime Information Exchange. That certificate is valid for five years.

The company’s website advertises more than 20 cruises for the 2025 season, which began June 8.