At first blush it might seem that an independent inquiry was needed into the Sydney-Hobart yacht race. However, this is not a case of suspected malfeasance, corruption or other criminal conduct. Nor was there such a large drain on public resources or large public impact as to warrant a public inquiry into the conduct of the race. As it is there will probably be a coroner’s inquest and internal inquiries by the Cruising Yacht Club and rescue services. The club and rescue inquiries are probably better handled by people actively involved in the incident. Those inquiries will be largely directed to technical matters and procedures to improve performance next time.
The loss of life in the race was caused by horrific weather. There was little human element. When the race began on Saturday there was no cause for belief that the weather would be so horrific, even though it was obvious that a southerly was coming through. By the time the severity of the weather was known, there was no point in calling the race off because all the boats were out in it.
It is not as if innocent members of the public got caught up by relying on race organisers. To the contrary, even those in the race know the rules. It is for the skipper of each boat to make an assessment as to whether to take part.
An independent inquiry will not be as fruitful as inquires by those who were in the thick of the racing and the rescue to report on what was learnt during the event to help prevent a repeat and to help improve safety in the future.
All who go to sea know there are risks and those that go in ocean races know the risks are even higher. There is no such thing as an unsinkable boat and no such thing as an infallible weather forecast.