A sailing accident in San Diego Bay that killed the uncle and grandfather of a special needs child on a charity boat trip was caused by a gust of wind that caught the jib, the only sail raised at the time, the president of the charity's board said Tuesday.
The maker of the boat, however, believes the boat carrying 10 people was overloaded and questioned whether a water ballast, which helps the ship automatically right itself, was properly filled.
Roger MacGregor of Costa Mesa-based MacGregor Yacht Corp. said he has been working with investigators to determine the cause of the accident.
In an interview with The Associated Press, John Shean, board president for the Bloomington, Ind.-based Heart of Sailing Foundation, said a wind gust hit moments before the 26-foot, 1988 MacGregor sailboat capsized, despite efforts to release the sail to reduce wind pressure.
"This is a tragic accident," he said.
The people on the boat included charity founder and executive director George Saidah, the only sailor on board, Shean said.
The boat overturned Sunday in calm seas near a buoy marking the way from a protected inlet to the channel of the bay.
Some of the people aboard were not wearing life jackets, but it had not been determined how many, said San Diego Harbor Police Chief John Bolduc, whose agency is leading the investigation.
Investigators also were trying to determine the position of the retractable keel and whether the combined weight of the passengers exceeded the limit of the boat.
Shean said the boat's ballast was properly filled and the keel — called a dagger board on this model — was down. He also said California law only requires children to wear life preservers.
The number of passengers did not exceed safety requirements as far as the charity
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