Roland Wilson denies three charges following Cowes Week crash
Yacht skipper Roland Wilson faces three charges of flouting maritime law after his boat was in collision with
a 120,000-tonne oil tanker during Cowes Week.
The 31-year-old denied a charge of failing to keep a proper look-out and also pleaded
not guilty to two charges of impeding the
passage of the crude-oil tanker, when he appeared before Southampton Magistrates
yesterday.
Wilson’s 33ft yacht Atalanta of Chester,
with a crew of seven, got tangled up with the 870ft ship’s anchor on 6 August,
2011.
One of Wilson’s crew was treated at hospital for a head injury.
Footage of the crash, which took place at
the world’s largest sailing regatta, has since become an internet sensation, attracting 733,531 hits on YouTube.
Wilson – a former
Royal Navy lieutenant from Stanley, Perthshire, was ordered to return to Southampton
Magistrates’ Court on 7 October for the start of a five-day trial.
A case management
hearing will take place on 17 July.
(Pictures courtesy of Tim Addison at COWES.co.uk)