Douglas Innes, 43, outside Winchester Crown Court today where he faces charges of manslaughter by gross negligence
A yacht firm boss carried on drinking in a pub despite receiving an ‘urgent’ email saying a 40ft vessel was taking on water hours before it sank in the Atlantic Ocean, a court heard today.
Douglas Innes, 43, from Southampton, Hampshire, was in a British pub when he was sent the pressing message from the crew on board.
However, he allegedly continued to drink in and did not immediately alert the coastguard and four men drowned 1,000 miles off the coast of the US.
Skipper Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham in Surrey, James Male, 22, from Southampton, Steve Warren, 52, and Paul Goslin, 56, both from Somerset, were all lost at sea.
The Cheeki Rafiki lost its keel as the sailors were returning the 40ft yacht from Antigua to the UK in May 2014.
Innes, of Southampton, was charged with four counts of manslaughter by gross negligence after four men drowned 1,000 miles off the coast of the US.
The court also heard that Innes, a director of Stormforce Coaching Limited, chose not to have the yacht inspected before it left the Caribbean despite two experts being found.
Prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC told the re-trial at Winchester Crown Court Innes replied to the email, telling the crew to make sure the life raft was ready to abandon ship.
He said: ‘Despite that and what was happening at sea, he didn’t call the UK Coastguard to alert them of the situation at that time, but he went to another pub nearer to his home and carried on drinking.’
Mr Lickley said that after talking to the crew, Innes then did go home and call the UK Coastguard but ‘he didn’t report any urgency, he said the pumps were coping’.
Mr Lickley said Innes then sent an email to the yacht telling the crew to ‘pull the interior apart’ to find the source of the leak and suggested looking at the keel bolts.
Paul Goslin (left), 56, and Steve Warren (right), 52, were killed when the Cheeki Rafiki yacht capsized in the Atlantic
He continued: ‘That would reflect the actual cause of the tragedy and the keel bolts had failed causing the keel to detach from the hull.’
Mr Lickley said the yacht, which had grounded on two earlier occasions, had been unsafe and unsound because Innes had neglected it for several years by not maintaining it or having it inspected.
He added that Innes had chosen an unsafe route for the journey.
Mr Lickley said that Innes had a ‘duty of care’ to the four men and ‘not to put cost over their safety’.
The court was told Innes had sent the 40ft Beneteau First class sailboat to Antigua to participate in races knowing its sailing code permit was about to expire.
Commercial yachts must be ‘coded’ to ensure they are allowed to sail, but the director of Stormforce Coaching knew the vessel’s permit was about to expire and it needed to be inspected to receive a new one.
The court heard the yacht, named after a character in The Lion King, had an undetected fault with bolts holding the three-tonne keel to the hull which then failed, causing it to fall off during the bad weather on the voyage.
Mr Lickley QC said Innes, who made contact with two experts in the Caribbean, chose not to have the yacht inspected to save costs.
He said: ‘Mr Innes tried to get an extension on the coding, which would cover the journey back to the UK from Antigua.
James Male (left) and Andrew Bridge (right), both 22, were the other two members drowned when the yacht capsized in May 2014
‘He had known this was not allowed and he then claimed he thought he had three months to get it done.
‘An inspector was found in Antigua who could check the boat before it came back. The inspector was not able to have the boat coded again, but he said he would charge £300 for an examination of the Cheeki Rafiki.
‘His yard was around 50 or so yards from where Cheeki Rafiki was berthed; he is confident he would have found the problem [with the keel].
‘A second inspector, based in Grenada, said he could fly in and would charge £1,200 for the examination which would have allowed the boat to be recoded.
‘Had he been asked, he would have inspected the keel and bolts and he said he cannot see how any competent surveyor would have missed the issues with Cheeki Rafiki.
The Cheeki Rafiki, which capsized in the North Atlantic killing four crew members
‘The Crown is suggesting this case is down to costs; Mr Innes did not want to spend money.
‘He knew if he used the first inspector that he would have to have an inspection done again in the UK and spend money twice.
‘In June 2014, after the loss of the vessel, Stormforce Coaching had paid the £80 fee for their code permit, but Mr Innes asked for it to be refunded.
‘The fact is the Cheeki Rafiki had not been inspected; Mr Innes made the decision not to have it surveyed before he left Antigua to return to the UK himself.
‘It was he who made the decision, he was the only one who could make these decisions to spend money and he was the only person who knew Cheeki Rafiki’s history.’
Mr Lickley QC added: ‘Despite all reminders, Mr Innes either turned a blind eye or decided to ignore the need to have Cheeki Rafiki inspected.
‘He gave little or no thought to making sure the yacht was safe and those on board were safe.
‘For whatever reason, he did not take steps to check and disregarded the duty imposed on him to take care of those on the yacht.
‘Despite everything, he let them go to sea.’
Innes, of Southampton, Hants, denies four counts of manslaughter.
The trial, which is expected to last between four and six weeks, continues.
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