Ouzo’s Disappearance – Ferry Officer Arrested

by Sail-World Cruising/David Brown on 22 Sep 2006 The misconception that a large ship will see you on its radar and take action to avoid you was underlined as such yet again yesterday with the arrest of a ship’s officer.

Times on Line reports that a senior officer on a P&O ferry has been arrested over the deaths of three sailors who drowned after their yacht disappeared in the English Channel.

The second officer of the Pride of Bilbao was in charge of the ferry when it is believed to have struck the yacht, the Ouzo, in August.

The 61-year-old was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of causing manslaughter through gross negligence after analysis of the ferry’s voyager data recorder showed it was in the area when the yacht sank.

The bodies of James Meaby, 36, Jason Downer, 35, and Rupert Saunders, 36, were found after their yacht left Bembridge on the Isle of Wight on August 20 for a 12-hour sail to Devon for the Dartmouth Regatta.

No distress call had been made by the yacht, leading coastguards to believe that it must have been run down by a much larger vessel.

The arrested man, from Dover, Kent, was the 'officer of the watch' on the Pride of Bilbao at the time of the suspected collision. He was legally in charge of the 577-foot long ferry and responsible for keeping watch for other vessels in the area.

Forensic officers examined the 37,500 tonne ferry at Portsmouth Ferryport, Hampshire, following the disappearance of the Ouzo after after 'something of interest' was seen on its black box data.

Detective Nigel Niven, leading the inquiry for Hampshire Police, said: 'Whilst we continue to maintain an open mind as to the cause of this incident, the enquiry is currently focused on the potential involvement of the Pride of Bilbao.'

An inquest, which was opened and adjourned into the deaths of the three men, heard that only two of them had time to inflate their lifejackets. Their 25ft Sailfish sloop (pictured above) has not been found..

On Sunday, August 20, the three out to sail from Bembridge on the Isle of Wight to Dartmouth, Devon, a voyage with which they were familiar, having done the same trip before.

The yacht Ouzo was reported later as a well-equipped vessel, and the three crew highly experienced sailors. No Mayday signal was heard.