A former commodore of a yacht club in Dublin drowned after falling into the water at a marina on the River Liffey while trying to get onto a boat after a social event last year.
An inquest at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard the body of John Wedick (78) – a well-known figure in sailing circles and a senior member of the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club – was found floating in the water at the club’s marina on Pigeon House Road, Ringsend on the morning of November 19, 2023.
The widower and father of five from Camolin, Co Wexford, who had been commodore of the club on several occasions, had attended a social function to mark its 50th anniversary on the previous evening.
The deceased’s son, John Wedick Junior, who gave evidence of formally identifying his father’s body to gardaí, told the coroner, Clare Keane, that his father was in good health and spirits when he last saw him, which was the day before his death.
He described how his father was looking forward to attending the event at the yacht club as the anniversary celebrations had been delayed for a number of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Wedick said the deceased would have known the area around the marina and the yacht club well, and he had also grown up in the area.
In reply to a question from the coroner, he said the area around the marina was “relatively well lit.”
The inquest heard that Mr Wedick was due to stay the night on board his son’s boat which was moored at the club’s marina.
The deceased’s son said he understood that his father slipped while getting into the boat and fell in the water.
He confirmed to Dr Keane that his father was able to swim.
In a written statement, a bar manager at the yacht club said Mr Wedick had attended a private members’ function in the clubhouse and was “in great form” and did not appear in any way upset or distressed when leaving the event sometime after 1am.
Garda Paul Fay of Donnybrook Garda station, gave evidence of being alerted to the discovery of a body in the River Liffey at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club’s marina at around 9am on November 19th, 2023.
Garda Fay said he saw a body laying face down in the water between a pontoon and rocks when he arrived at the scene.
He also recalled noticing a large cut on the victim’s forehead.
The inquest heard the victim’s body was recovered from the water by Dublin Fire Brigade personnel and brought ashore at the Jeanie Johnston marina where Mr Wedick was formally pronounced dead at 9:27am.
Garda Fay said CCTV footage from the yacht club had caught the deceased’s last moments and showed him going through a gate that led to a pontoon in the marina before going to his son’s boat.
He described how the footage did not show Mr Wedick falling into the river but that his body was visible in the water afterwards.
Garda Fay said the victim looked fine as he was walking to the boat and did not look unsteady on his feet.
He also confirmed that the weather was dry at the time.
The deceased’s son pointed out that his father would generally wear sailing shoes when he was in the marina but was wearing dress shoes on the night because he was attending a black tie event.
“I’m not sure what grip they had,” he observed.
Although two other people had gone into the marina around the same time, Garda Fay said they had gone in a different direction on the pontoon and he was satisfied there was no third party involvement in Mr Wedick’s death.
“It just looks like a tragic accident,” the garda remarked.
Dr Keane said postmortem results showed he had sustained some abrasions on his scalp but it had not been possible to determine how they had been caused.
The coroner said there was some evidence of chronic heart disease but she did not regard it as a contributory factor in his death.
Dr Keane said Mr Wedick had mild alcohol intoxication, but the levels were “certainly not at the high end.”
Returning a verdict of accidental death, she said the deceased had died as a result of drowning.
She offered her condolences to members of Mr Wedick’s family who attended the inquest and acknowledged how traumatising such an “out of the blue and unexpected death” was for them.
Mr Wedick, who was known as “Johnny”, was also a founding member of the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Club and was involved in the restoration of a 50-foot fishing vessel, The Bracan Lass, which had been docked in a dilapidated state in Grand Canal Dock for many years.
His love affair with sailing was formed in his youth where he grew up in his grandmother’s house in Ringsend and he joined the local sea scouts at the age of 10.
A former chef who set up his own wholesale meat distribution business, Mr Wedick moved from his home in Artane to Wexford in his retirement but remained actively involved in the Ringsend club until his death.
