Inquest records open verdicts on deaths of four in yacht tragedy

An open verdict was recorded yesterday at an inquest into the deaths of four crew of a British yacht that disappeared in mysterious circumstances while crossing the North Sea.

The biggest air and sea search in almost 30 years was launched when the yacht, the Tuila, vanished in July 2000 as she sailed back from the Netherlands to her home port in Suffolk.

Carol Smith, 23, from Tamworth, Staffordshire; Chris McMenemy, 26, from Canada; and James Chew, 22, from Wysall, Nottinghamshire, all students, were found drowned. The 58-year-old skipper of the vessel, Adam Clackson, of Cambridge, also died.

The head of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Rear-Admiral John Lang, told the inquest the most "likely" fate of the glass-fibre yacht was that it had been run down by a much larger vessel. He said: "Whatever did happen, happened quickly ... This was quick and catastrophic."

Yesterday the inquest in Nottingham was told that a previous crew on the boat had received little or no safety training from Mr Clackson. The bodies of Mr Chew, Mr Clackson and Ms Smith were recovered two weeks after the yacht went missing. Mr McMenemy's body was not found until 14 October.

Post-mortem examinations proved difficult and the coroner, Dr Nigel Chapman, said in each case the cause of death could only be given as being "consistent" with drowning.

In November, a trawler brought up part of the Tuila but the wreckage was so damaged that it was impossible to establish how it had sunk.

The inquest was told the Tuila had carried flares that may have been out of date, an emergency radio beacon that had to be manually operated and was on a frequency being phased out, and no life raft.