British teenager Bethany Smith dies falling from yacht’s mast

The 18-year-old British girl Bethany Smith has fallen to her death while cleaning a 60 metre-long schooner Germania Nova, which was berthed near Portland, Jamaica.

According to local newspaper Jamaica Observer, she was cleaning the mast of the vessel “when the ropes became undone and she fell onto the deck”.

A GoFundMe page set up to help her family says she “fell off the mast” of the yacht on Tuesday.

The GoFundMe page describes Bethany Smith as “a generous person” and “a ray of sunshine who brought laughter and music into the lives of those she met”.

The page, which has raised more than $12,185 for her family, says that the 18-year-old’s mother Sarah is in Trinidad, her father Dave is in the Netherlands and her brother Bryn is in Antigua.

Bethany had been sailing the world with her family on the sailing vessel CAPE since she was a child. They had sailed from their home in Wales to the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Caribbean. In Gambia, they did humanitarian work, and Bethany continued that tradition by participating in relief efforts for the Caribbean Island of Dominica.

The purpose of this fund is to assist the family in meeting the major expenses resulting from this tragic event. Bethany passed away in Jamaica. Bethany’s father, Dave, is working in the Netherlands. Her mother, Sarah, is in Trinidad and her brother, Bryn, is in Antigua. The costs of air fares, food and lodging to reunite the family on such short notice are staggering. In addition the family will incur the costs of burial. This family has suffered an unspeakable loss. This fund will help alleviate a portion of their financial stress, so they don’t have to worry about the costs of being together to lay Bethany to rest. 

Bethany had been sailing the world with her family on the sailing vessel CAPE since she was a child. They had sailed from their home in Wales to the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Caribbean. In Gambia, they did humanitarian work, and Bethany continued that tradition by participating in relief efforts for the Caribbean Island of Dominica.