The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Skipper in court over tanker crash
THE PERTHSHIRE skipper of a racing yacht which collided with a giant oil tanker told a court he took “no unnecessary risks” in the run up to the incident.
Roland Wilson from Stanley, below, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserves, said his boat, the Atalanta of Chester, was on course to pass port-to-port with the 850ft Hanne Knutsen on the first day of Cowes Week in August 2011 and that was always the plan.
He explained to Southampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday that the tanker sounded a signal to say it was turning to starboard but then did not do so.
“This situation develops from being a safe situation to being an unsafe situation in a short timescale... because of the unexpected manoeuvre of the Hanne Knutsen after the starboard sound signal,” the 32-year-old said.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Charles Row, Wilson was asked: “You had no clear idea how quickly she was going to turn?”
Wilson, an experienced sailor, replied that he has seen hundreds of such ships turn at that point — prompting Mr Row to suggest that Wilson had assumed that was what the tanker would do and he had not observed properly.
The physics graduate denied the claim and said he was watching and had seen the tanker from five miles away as his yacht raced.
“Wa s it wishful thinking on your part, wishing to apportion blame on someone else than take responsibility yourself?” Mr Row asked.
Wilson replied he did not want to apportion any blame.
Mr Row: “You had all the time in the world to avoid this ship.”
Wilson replied: “It remained a safe situation up until a couple of minutes before the collision.” Wilson is alleged to have been negligent and faces three charges of contravening maritime regulations.
Married father-of one Wilson denies failing to keep a proper lookout and two counts of impeding the passage of a tanker.
The trial is expected to end on Friday.