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Cheeki Rafiki safety fail conviction
17 Jul 2017
The capsized Cheeki Rafiki being examined by divers
A yacht company director has been convicted of failing to ensure the safety of stricken vessel Cheeki Rafiki, which was found capsized with four men missing in May 2014.
Douglas Innes and his company, Stormforce Coaching, were found guilty of failing to operate the 12m long yacht in a safe manner contrary to the Merchant Shipping Act, a court heard.
Mr Innes will face a retrial over the deaths of the four men after a jury at Winchester crown court were unable to reach verdicts on manslaughter charges.
The Cheeki Rafiki had been returning to Southampton from Antigua Sailing Week when it capsized, after losing its keel 700 miles off Nova Scotia, it is believed.
Stormforce Coaching employees, Andrew Bridge and James Male, plus Steve Warren and Paul Goslin were sailing the vessel, which Mr Innes had been responsible for, when they reported a problem on board. However, according to evidence declared during the trial, Mr Innes did not respond, only calling the coastguard when he was contacted a second time.
He then reportedly emailed the crew suggesting they check the bolts of the keel.
Nigel Lickley, QC for the prosecution, said the vessel, which had been grounded three times in three years, had an undetected fault with the bolts which held the keel to the hull.
Mr Lickley said it was discovered that some of the bolts had been broken ‘for some time’ before the yacht left the UK to start its journey in October 2013.
Jurors were also told the yacht had been given a ‘category two’ code, which meant it was only authorised to be used commercially up to 60 miles away from a ‘safe haven’ and the code certificate had expired shortly before the incident.
During the trial, it emerged the US Coastguard has called off its search for the vessel after two days, but resumed the operation following intervention by the British government, upon which the empty vessel was discovered with its lifeboat.
The bodies of the men have never been recovered.
via Boating Business | Cheeki Rafiki safety fail conviction.