The pleasure yacht in which four people died after a collision with a cargo ship in Dublin bay was seen "wandering" and on the "wrong" side of the shipping channel just half-an-hour before the accident.
The inquest into the deaths of the four friends following belated St Patrick's Day celebrations on May 19th last year was opened at Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday.
Mr Glen Styles (42), his brother Mr Mark Styles (39), Ms Eleanor Cullen (43) and Mr Rowan Smith (47) all died when the yacht Debonair, owned by Mr Mark Styles, collided with the MV Bluebird just off Poolbeg lighthouse shortly before 3 a.m. on May 20th. The inquest was adjourned for two weeks. Further evidence is to be heard.
The families of the deceased were legally represented, as is the survivor of the accident, staff of the Dublin Port Company and the insurers of both the Debonair and Bluebird. At least nine legal teams were present and the gallery was packed with family and friends of the deceased.
There was one survivor, Mr Philip Daly, who was present at the inquest yesterday, but who has not yet given evidence.
The inquest heard evidence from Mr Ian Bull, who had set out on the Debonair with the four men from Malahide that morning. Mr Bell said the group had booked a berth for the night and had planned to stay following the fireworks display.
They had hoped to travel upriver and beyond the East Link bridge, where their berth was, but the bridge was not raised due to an industrial dispute on the day.
The group ended up berthing on a pontoon at Poolbeg Yacht Club at around 4 p.m. The area was not very stable and not designed for a large number of boats.
However, there were a number of boats there that day and the party moved between them and the club. The group was joined by other boats from Malahide during the day.
It was the first occasion they had been in Poolbeg yacht club but not the first time they had sailed up the river.
Mr Bull said both Styles brothers were very experienced sailors. He had known them for about 10 years and had sailed with them for three. Both had been sailing since they were children.
Mr Bull said his decision to leave was partly due to the fact that there were only five berths on the boat. The group had also been joined during the evening by Ms Eleanor Cullen.
Dublin Port Company staff later gave evidence that there had been a "mass exodus" of pleasure craft after the end of the fireworks display.
Many of them had left the bay on the wrong (north) side of the shipping channel. An incoming tanker had radioed for a safety boat to get the yachts out of that area.
The Debonair, however, was seen leaving Dublin port some hours after most of the other yachts had gone. It was spotted by Mr John McKenna, a Dublin Port Company pilot, who assists ships in navigating the port, as he was on his way out on a pilot boat to board the Bluebird. Conditions were calm and there was "excellent visibility", he said.
Even though it was on the "wrong" side, there was nothing remarkable about it and it occasionally happened that yachts would use this side of the channel, although they shouldn't under a particular "bye-law".
After he had boarded the Bluebird and it was travelling up the shipping channel, he and his two crew, who also gave evidence, saw the Debonair again. However, on this occasion it was on the correct side of the shipping channel, the south side.
He had seen it from about a mile away.
As he approached, he could see the correct sequence of lights on the yacht, which indicated it would pass him to port, the correct side.
He needed to adjust his course slightly to port to get the Bluebird through the next set of buoys, but gave the Debonair as much room as possible, he said.
Suddenly, Debonair's light sequence changed from red to green, indicating it was about to cross his bow.
He told the captain to blow his horn continuously, which he did.
"The yacht kept coming and made no attempt to avoid a collision," Mr McKenna said. It was an "unexpected turn".
The mast broke off the Debonair as it collided with the Bluebird and the pilot observed the yacht disappear under the fo'c'sle and come from under the Bluebird's starboard bow.
He informed Dublin Port radio of the collision.
The inquest was adjourned for mention to February 15th.
Evidence is yet to be heard from Mr Philip Daly and from the captain and crew of the Bluebird