A public outcry broke out when the US Coastguard called off the search for the Cheeki Rafiki just two days after it went missing in the mid-Atlantic, prompting a massive online petition and intervention by the British Government.
The yacht and its four British crew had set off from Antigua on its return voyage to the UK on May 4, 2014, but on the evening of May 15, the skipper, Andrew Bridge, sent an email headed “Urgent” telling company boss Douglas Innes the vessel was taking on water.
At 4.05am the following morning, a personal locator beacon was triggered by Mr Bridge prompting a major search and rescue operation involving US and Canadian aircraft assisted by three merchant vessels which scoured 4,000 square miles (10,360 sq km).
The upturned hull of a small boat was located by the Maersk Kure container ship but adverse weather conditions prevented a closer inspection.
After two days the search was called off, prompting calls from the families for it to be resumed with the hope that the four men had managed to get into a life raft.
An online petition supporting the families was created, gaining more than 200,000 signatures which was then backed with a request from the British Government to the US authorities.
The search was subsequently reinstated with teams from the US, Canada and the UK, including a RAF Hercules aircraft, covering an additional 21,000 square miles (54,390 sq km).
The upturned yacht was finally discovered in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles (1,609km) east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts with its cabin completely flooded and its windows shattered.
Underwater imagery taken by a swimmer from a US Navy warship showed the life raft clearly stowed in place, indicating it had not been deployed and hope for the four men vanished.
The yacht itself was not recovered.
Graham Male, the father of crew member James, told Winchester Crown Court when he was shown these photographs he realised his son was gone.
He said: “It was surreal, just seeing that life raft, I just couldn’t believe it, I remember saying ‘I have seen enough’. It was harrowing, it was as if the photo was in slow motion, I remember going back to the family, I knew as soon as I saw that life raft in there.”
Following the discovery, then prime minister David Cameron sent a message saying his “thoughts are with the families and friends of the crew”.
An investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) concluded that previous groundings and repairs might have caused weakening at the point where the keel was attached to the hull, causing it to fall off.
The MAIB report said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had undertaken to work with the Royal Yachting Association and the marine industry to clarify safety and maintenance requirements.
