Stormforce Coaching charter company director Doug Innes has been charged with causing death by gross negligence in connection with the deaths of four people aboard a Cheeki Rafiki yacht in May 2014. Stormforce Coaching has also been charged with violating the Maritime Transport Act.
The investigation into the deaths of four sailors - Andrew Bridge, Steve Warren, Paul Goslin and James Maine - who had rented the 40.7-foot Beneteau Cheeki Rafiki for Antigua Sailing Week and capsized on her en route from Antigua to Europe, lasted more than two years.
Prior to the incident, the crew contacted search and rescue services and Stormforce representatives and reported that the yacht was gaining water, but when rescuers arrived at the scene, they found the boat capsized. A life raft was on board.
The lack of rudder feather damage or other hull damage other than a falling off keel makes it unlikely that the yacht collided with any object, according to a report from the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency. According to the investigation, previous groundings and subsequent repairs to the keel and keel matrix had caused deterioration of the vessel's structure where the keel would have been attached to the hull.
