Dive Boat Master Escaped Sinking Vessel Through Bow Hatch

Every yacht with a forward cabin is required by ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) and CE regulations to have a hatch in the overhead. Most people take that for granted, and think of it for ventilation when sleeping forward. But the real reason for its placement there is emergency escape.

The trouble is that the required minimum size may not be large enough for large (read portly, overweight, downright fat) men, particularly ones wearing a PFD and warm clothes.  Check out the size of the lucky gentleman above and the clothes he is wearing.  

ABYC requirements state that if the forward hatch is round (relatively few are), the diameter of the hatch must be at least 18” (45.72 cm).  If it is a rectangular hatch, it must be large enough for a 14.5” (36.38 cm) circle to be inscribed within it. 

Our suggestion is that before buying any boat with a forward cabin, the diameter of the forward hatch be measured and be sufficiently large for the largest member of one’s crew to pass through.  If the hatch is not large enough, then we recommend that the buyer find a boat that does have a suitable forward hatch.

There is a second issue surrounding forward hatches that must be considered: Can the hatch be easily reached by someone in the forward cabin? That issue is not addressed by ABYC standards and CE requirements.  The answer to that question, based on BoatTEST’s  inspections of hundreds of large yachts, is generally – “yes,” for small boats or crossovers with cuddy cabins, and “no” for large flybridge cruisers and motoryachts.  

We can count on one hand the number of large yachts, say over 50’ (15.2 m), that have provision for emergency egress through a forward hatch that might be 3’-4’ (.9 -1.2 m) over the forward bed.  The best solution we have seen is a ladder stowed in one of the hanging lockers.

ABYC Standards--

•    Enclosed accommodation compartments shall have a readily accessible and unobstructed means of exit and shall have a second readily accessible means of exit to the open air if the main exit leads through or over an engine space or directly past a cooking appliance.
•    A round hatch used for egress should be at least 18” (45.72 cm) in diameter. Any other shape should be large enough for a 14.5-inch (36.38-cm) diameter circle to be inscribed.

Here’s the downside of high overheads on cruising yachts, such as the Fleming 58 (left) we tested recently: The hatch is too high to reach and climb out in an emergency. The solution? Fleming stows an escape ladder in a hanging locker to facilitate egress, and is one of the few brands we have tested that does.

Read the Rescue Story

The Coast Guard rescued three people on 10 November, 2024, after their boat sank off the coast of Long Island, New York.  At approximately 4:15 p.m., Suffolk County dispatch notified Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders and relayed text messages received, indicating a boat was taking on water near the SS Iberia shipwreck, with three people in the water. Sector Long Island watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) and launched boat crews from Station Jones Beach and Station Fire Island to respond. 

A Coast Guard Station Jones Beach boat crew arrived on scene and retrieved two divers and the vessel’s master from the water. The vessel master reported that the boat sank rapidly, but he managed to escape through a bow hatch. 

All three people were transported to a local marina, where emergency medical services brought them to Long Beach Memorial Hospital/Long Beach Medical Center. No serious injuries were reported.