Britain to Probe Sailboat Sinking

HAMILTON, Bermuda — The British government will hold a formal inquiry into last year’s sudden sinking of the sailboat Marques 80 miles off the coast of Bermuda that took 19 lives, officials said.

The decision to open the investigation, which was announced simultaneously Wednesday in London and Hamilton, was made by British Secretary of State of Transport Nicholas Ridley.

The 119-foot Marques, which some people claim was not seaworthy, sank 12 hours after leaving Bermuda on the Bermuda-Halifax leg of the 1984 Tall Ships race sponsored by the British and U.S. sail training associations.