A 74-year-old sailor who spent three years circumnavigating the globe died off the Isle of Wight after he became entangled in a faulty winch, an investigation has revealed.
New Zealand national Lyall Babington suffered catastrophic injuries when a rope caught his hand and pulled him into the winch onboard his 17-metre sailing vessel Mollie.
The incident happened shortly after midday on August 5, 2025, when the vessel was around three nautical miles off The Needles.
Crew members immediately attempted to shut off the winch using its control switch, but Mr Babington was rapidly pulled “tighter into the winch drum,” an investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has revealed.
By the time they managed to stop it, the skipper was unresponsive.
The Yarmouth RNLI lifeboat was sent to the area following a Mayday call, while police, ambulance crews, paramedics and the Hampshire and IW Air Ambulance stood ready at Yarmouth Harbour as the situation unfolded offshore.
RNLI crews and a rescue helicopter team worked to free Mr Babington from the winch.
During the rescue effort, the device unexpectedly activated again, causing the sailor to fall onto the deck.
Despite attempts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The MAIB investigation found the winch system had a known defect affecting its controls, causing it to sometimes continue running even after the switch was released.
No corrective action had been taken, the report said.
Mr Babington had been living aboard Mollie during his round-the-world voyage, picking up crew in various ports.
One crew member had been with him intermittently for around five months, while the other two only joined the day before the accident.
On the morning of the incident, Mollie had left West Wittering on her way to Poole.
The accident happened as Mr Babington attempted to raise a sail.
Following the findings, no further action has been taken, the MAIB said.
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