Sailors Left to Die - Ouzo

Sailfish 25 similar to Ouzo SW

Ouzo Crew © SW

Rupert Saunders and James Meaby, both 36, and Jason Downer, 35, drowned after floating for hours because the ferry's second mate 'turned a blind eye' to their plight.

A jury heard Michael Hubble was on the bridge of the Pride of Bilbao and must have known the three City workers could be in danger. Despite either ploughing into or swamping the Ouzo, the 577ft, 37,500 ton P&O ferry continued on its way to Spain.

The failure of Hubble to either stop the ferry, alert the captain or call the coastguard may have been the result of his guilt at not spotting the yacht until it was too late, Winchester Crown Court was told.

The accident happened in the early hours of August 21 last year as Mr Saunders and his friends sailed from the Isle of Wight to a regatta in Dartmouth, Devon.

Christopher Parker QC, prosecuting, said: 'The yacht never showed up on the radar display of the Pride of Bilbao.

'David Smith, the look-out, and Hubble did not see the yacht's navigation lights until she was very close on the starboard bow - too late to avert disaster.'

Hubble, 61, had claimed that he saw a light behind the ferry and concluded that the yacht had come to no harm. 'The prosecution say he had no proper basis on which to reach such a conclusion,' said Mr Parker.

'Even though he must have known the dangers into which the yacht had been placed and the obvious dangers to the lives of those on the yacht, he pressed on to Bilbao.

'He told no one in authority to carry out any rescue manoeuvres. Importantly, he took no action to ascertain whether the crew were safe.' None of the sailors suffered any serious injuries in the accident and all were wearing life jackets. But hypothermia set in, causing them to lose consciousness and drown.

Mr Saunders and Mr Downer survived in the water for at least three hours and Mr Meaby for at least 12.

The 'enormous resources' available for maritime searches include lifeboats, the coastguard and the Royal Navy but Hubble used none of them, said Mr Parker.

Jason Downer, Rupert Saunders and James Meaby drowned after floating in the water for hours

'It may well be of course that his feeling that he may have been responsible for that near miss has governed that lack of response,' he said.

'This led to him turning a blind eye and hoping for the best.'

The Pride of Bilbao was implicated when shipping routes were checked. When interviewed by police, Hubble, who has sailed for more than 40 years, described such a near miss as 'comparatively commonplace'.

The jury heard that Mr Saunders, 36, who was skippering the yacht, was a 'very safety-conscious sailor'.

Hubble, of Folkestone, Kent, denies three charges of manslaughter. He also denies three charges of engaging in conduct as a seaman likely to cause death or serious injury to another.

The trial continues.