#CheekiRafiki - The director of the yachting company that operated the Cheeki Rafiki has been convicted of failing to ensure the vessel’s safety when it was lost in the Atlantic three years ago.
James Male, Andrew Bridge, Steve Warren and Paul Goslin were lost at sea when their yacht lost its keel amid poor weather some 700 miles offshore of Nova Scotia in May 2014, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
In October last year, Douglas Innes of Stormforce Coaching Ltd was charged with the manslaughter of the four sailors, as well as failing to ensure the safety of the vessel.
According to the Guardian, Winchester crown court heard that the Cheeki Rafiki has grounded three times prior to the incident, and that bolts holding the keel to the hull were found to have failed.
It was also claimed that Innes had planned an “unsafe” route from a regatta in Antigua to Britain, the voyage on which the tragedy occurred.
Innes has been released on unconditional bail pending sentencing. He also faces a retrial on the manslaughter charges after the jury failed to reach verdicts. The Guardian has more HERE.
