Fisherman Tony Jones died trapped in capsized boat

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Tony JonesImage source, Family handout
Image caption,

Tony Jones died and his son Nick and crewmember Chris Wonnacott were found clinging to the upturned hull of the boat

A fisherman who died when his vessel capsized was trapped on board, an inquest has heard.

The trawler Solstice capsized off the coast of Plymouth in 2017.

It went over very quickly as the crew tried to land a catch in a net which was excessively heavy because it also contained moss and sand, Plymouth Coroners' Court heard.

Owner Tony Jones, who was trapped in the wheelhouse, died accidentally, the jury concluded.

The alarm was raised when the boat did not return to Plymouth after fishing near the Eddystone Lighthouse on 26 September 2017, the inquest heard.

Two other men were rescued from the upturned hull which they had been hanging to for more than five hours.

Nick Jones - Tony's son - and crewmember Chris Wonnacott were rescued after they were found clinging to the hull.

Image source, MAIB PUBLICATIONS
Image caption,

The trawler had been modified without consideration to stability, a report said

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report, that was released last December, said the vessel capsized due to of a lack of safety precautions onboard.

It said the vessel had been modified without consideration to stability, and that it was not fitted with a positioning beacon, which hampered the rescue mission.

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An MAIB inspector told the inquest that small changes to fishing boats could have a dramatic effect on their stability, and that new regulations were needed to improve safety.

He made a number of recommendations, including that all boats that are under 15m (49 ft) long did a roll test, which shows how far a vessel could lean over before capsizing.

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