Brit skipper arrested for "negligence" in Aegean

[charles_reed]

Brit skipper arrested for \"negligence\" in Aegean

A Turkish cargo ship has rescued eight people from a British yacht after it began to take on water and sink in the Aegean Sea.
According to reports, the British skipper, Neil Lockwood, is being held in custody by port police and is to appear in court on charges of causing a shipwreck through negligence.
Authorities said it appeared the boat, Scanhalla, had hit an object while sailing, but the captain had allegedly not correctly assessed possible damage.
The yacht had been sailing 30 nautical miles southeast of the central Aegean island of Skyros when it issued a mayday call, the ministry said. A Turkish-flagged cargo ship, the Pazar, had been sailing about two nautical miles from the yacht and rescued the eight, who were later taken to the nearby island of Evia.
The passengers were identified as five Greeks, including two boys aged 10 and 14, Diniel Pate, 80, from Australia and Makwabe Siya, 19, from South Africa.
Scanhalla set sail on 30 June from the port of Kalamaki near Athens, heading for the central Aegean island of Skiathos, the merchant marine ministry said.

 

[Boatman]

Re: Brit skipper arrested for \"negligence\" in Aegean

Seems a slightly wide interpretation of negligence. How many of us have had a problem and thought we can continue to only find out something else goes wrong or the the problem is bigger than anticipated.

 

[Guest]

Re: Brit skipper arrested for \"negligence\" in Aegean

Does this mean I can get arrested for fouling a pot line,because I know that they are out there(but don't know exactly where)

 

[jamesjermain]

Re: Brit skipper arrested for \"negligence\" in Aegean

This story sounds quite outrageous at first reading. There must be more to it - do you have more information, Charles.

It is particularly outrageous given the level of seamanship shown by many, even most, of the commercial operators out there, which leaves the antics of the Sunsail brigade for dead.

Last year I had one of those eye rubbing, 'I don't BELIEVE it!' experiences in Skiathos harbour.

The inter-island ferry came in and quite neatly turned herself round to go stern first into her stern-to berth. Apart from coming within bowsprit cracking distance of yachts moored on the other side of the harbour, she was doing OK.

Then she dropped both bow anchors with a satisfying growl of chain from the hawse pipes. The chain growled out - and out - and out. Until it was all, both anchors and both bitter ends, safely on the seabed.

No one seemed the least concerned. An hour later, without even buoying the ground tackle, she steamed away to another harbour. By the time we left, 24 hours later, no action had been taken to recover the anchors.

The thought of a largish inter-island ferry cruising around without anchors, presumably with the best wishes of the various harbour authorities, makes the actions of the British skipper sound sane enouth to drive a psychiatrist mad.

JJ