British sailor died in Cannes boat crash ’caused by captain showing off’: Deckhand, 29, was pulling up the anchor on £3.7m vessel when out of control boat crashed into it
- Jake Feldwhere, 29, has died after the captain of his yacht drove at three times the limit
- He arrived in France four weeks ago and just completed a super-yacht training course
- The yacht’s driver has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and forbidden from working as boat captain
- The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the collision
Jack Feldwhere, 29, died in a yacht collision in Monaco on the last night of the Cannes Film Festival, after his boat’s captain sped up to ‘show off the boat’s performance’
A British deckhand was killed in a super-yacht collision blamed on a captain said to be ‘showing off’ his boat.
Jake Feldwhere was pulling up the anchor of the Minx when it was struck at three times the legal speed limit by another ship, Vision, on the final day of the Cannes film festival.
The 29-year-old from Midhurst, West Sussex, had only arrived in the south of France four weeks before the tragedy in May, having just completed a basic super-yacht training course.
He posted a smiling selfie from Monaco Port on social media after he arrived, writing: ‘Only gone and made it to Monaco. Let the adventure begin!’
Prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said that the captain of the Vision had been trying to ‘show off the boat’s performance’ and lost control.
He added that the yacht was sailing at 15 knots in a depth where the speed is limited to just five.
Mr Tarabeux said the captain had been ‘released and placed under judicial control, with orders not to engage in any activity as captain of a ship, not to leave French territory and to comply with any summonses’. He has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Hours before his death, Mr Feldwhere posted on Instagram a series of photographs of the Cannes shoreline from Île Sainte-Marguerite, a notorious spot for yacht parties, with the caption: ‘Not a bad day to be out on the sea. #Cannes #LoveIt.’
The Vision 60ft yacht collided into the boat which was said to be travelling at ‘three times the speed limit’ when it crashed at 9pm. The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also investigating the collision
Bitter-sweet: He had just completed a basic super-yacht training course which would have led to a prosperous career working on one of these vessels
Both yachts had been rented by a group of 17 Britons on May 25 – the last night of the film festival – with the crash occurring at 9pm.
The Minx’s agents said after the accident that the yacht ‘was anchored and stationary in a safe anchorage zone’ at the time of the collision.
Dean Wickham, a 26-year-old fellow deckhand, said: ‘Jake was pulling up the anchor and a boat crashed into [the yacht].’
He said that the captain of Vision was reportedly ‘told to do some rounds while they waited for the other boat to pick up anchor’.
He added: ‘They were doing a dual charter… and I believe they were all Brits who knew each other and hired the two boats.’ Another worker claimed the captain of the Vision was steering to try to ‘make some waves’.
Identities of yacht owners are fiercely guarded secrets, and during the summer the vessels are often chartered out – along with the crew – to wealthy clients. The £3.7million London-registered 65ft Minx is chartered at a cost of £48,000 per week, excluding food, alcohol, tips and fuel. The 60ft Vision is Monaco-registered.
Immediately after the crash, both yachts sailed back to the port where the crews were interviewed. Medical staff tried to resuscitate Mr Feldwhere, but ‘he was declared dead following a cardiac arrest’.
Mr Wickham said he and his fellow yacht workers had been traumatised by the bloodstained Minx which was left at the port for weeks. He added: ‘That to me is an absolute disgrace. It was there a month after the accident. The vessels were right there in front of us for all of us to see.
‘The blood trickling down the side of the boat, I saw it every single day. It’s a massive, massive slap in the face – they lost a member of their crew and [the authorities are] leaving it for us to see every day for months.’
Mr Wickham said: ‘We go through the whole season – up to two months – without a single day off. We don’t get any breaks, we work 18 hours a day, which should be illegal. Accidents can happen so easily. Everything you do on a boat is down to safety.’ There is no suggestion that these were the conditions on either yacht involved.
Alongside the French inquiry, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also investigating the collision.
Mr Feldwhere attended Midhurst Grammar School before going on to the renowned agricultural Sparsholt College. He worked in various outdoor roles including lake restoration and country house horticulture before his yacht training course.
Following his funeral last month, his mother Marie-Ann James, 51, set up a fundraising page on behalf of her son to the charity Ned’s Fund, which raises awareness of suicide in young people. She said: ‘Jake really supported Ned’s Fund and was passionate about raising as much money as he could.
‘We know he would be over the moon if he could contribute in some way after his death.’
Derek Byrne, a spokesman for the seafarers’ union Nautilus, said: ‘We will be looking closely at the findings of the French authorities and the [British] Marine Accidents Investigations Branch following their investigations. We hope that the family of the deceased seafarer are being supported by his employer.’
The case against the captain will be heard in Marseille when the initial investigation is complete, which could take months if not years.
Source: Read Full Article