A Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 collision between two boats off Anse Cochon, Anse La Raye, has heard admissions of safety lapses by their operators, including the failure to brief passengers, distribute life jackets and notify the lighthouse of vessel departures.
The collision between Ocean Angel and Cazorla Jr claimed four lives, including Ocean Angel crew member Tyrone Paul, left several people injured and resulted in one vessel being destroyed and the other sinking.
During two days of hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Commission also heard that Tyson Hippolyte, who operated Cazorla Jr on the night of the collision, did so despite having an expired boatmaster’s licence. Hippolyte further admitted that he had consumed three or four beers before departing Gros Islet for Soufrière.
The public hearings will resume next Wednesday, October 21.
Hippolyte told the Commission that he had left Soufrière at about 3 p.m. on July 18 for Gros Islet before beginning the return journey sometime after 10 p.m.
Asked by Commission Chairman, retired Justice Mario Michel, about the validity of his licence, Hippolyte said he did not know when he had last checked it.
Michel then asked whether the licence had expired on July 18, 2015, before Hippolyte was shown a copy of the document.
Hippolyte said he had not been paying attention to the licence because he was not operating other boats. He also indicated that he had operated Cazorla Jr about three or four times previously.
Asked why he felt comfortable operating the vessel given the sea conditions and circumstances that night, he responded in Kwéyòl, ‘based on experience’.
Delan Nicholas, managing director of Ocean Angel Boat Tours, told the Commission that passengers had received no safety briefing and that he had not distributed life jackets, although the vessel carried them.
Nicholas said he took over the helm from Tyrone Paul at Anse Mamin during the journey.
He also acknowledged that Ocean Angel’s navigation lights were off when the vessel departed Soufrière and were switched on only after he took over the helm.
‘During the period that the boat was being driven by from Soufrière to Anse Mamin, the lights were not on,’ he told the Commission.
Nicholas further admitted that he had not informed the Soufrière lighthouse of the vessel’s departure, as required under maritime law.
He nevertheless maintained that the vessel was seaworthy and that safety equipment, including life jackets, was on board.
Roxanne Bonaparte, a survivor who was aboard Ocean Angel, told the Commission through a statement she had given to police that she asked for a life jacket because she could not swim.
‘I told him I don’t know how to swim, so I need a lifejacket. He replied to me, ‘I am safe with him’,’ she said, confirming that the statement accurately reflected what she had told police on July 24.
Bonaparte said she did not recall seeing life jackets during the journey but remembered receiving one while in the water after the collision.
She also described the boat as travelling faster than normal and said its speed was such that the front of the vessel obstructed her view.
She testified that visibility was poor and that passengers had received no safety instructions when they boarded. She also said she had not observed any navigation lights during the journey.
Elias Nicholas, a fisherman from Soufrière and cousin of Delan Nicholas, similarly testified that he had not noticed any lights on Ocean Angel.
He said Tyrone Paul was operating the vessel when he boarded at the Soufrière jetty sometime after 10 p.m., before Delan Nicholas took over.
Comparing the two men’s handling of the boat, he said: ‘Tyrone was taking it more easy on the boat, Delan was going more faster.’
After the collision, Elias Nicholas said he grabbed a nearby life jacket before climbing onto the overturned vessel. He was later rescued and taken to Canaries, where an ambulance was called. He said he sustained a head injury and a broken leg and subsequently regained consciousness at Soufrière Hospital.
Irenus Pascal, owner of Cazorla Jr, told the Commission that his regular licensed captain was unavailable on July 18 and that Hippolyte operated the vessel instead.
‘I had no choice. Tyson was among the plans as well, so he decided to captain the boat that night,’ Pascal said, adding that Hippolyte was not his regular captain.
Pascal confirmed that no safety briefing had been conducted, attributing the omission to practices among local boat operators.
‘Well, I believe it is just a we thing, like we don’t really take serious…especially when it is not commercial use. Like using it for guests and it’s locals, we just do things,’ he said.
He also acknowledged that the lighthouse had not been informed of Cazorla Jr’s movement.
‘We don’t do it, it’s just a we thing,’ he told the Commission.
Pascal said the vessel had been travelling faster than normal on the return journey and that the driver had been asked to slow down. He maintained that Cazorla Jr’s navigation lights were on, but said he had not seen an approaching vessel and had received no warning from the lookout.
Investigating officer Luciano Guard also gave evidence on Tuesday about statements taken from witnesses and his interactions with relevant agencies during the investigation.
The Commission was appointed by Acting Governor General Felix Finisterre on September 1, 2026, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision and examine Saint Lucia’s legislation governing maritime accidents.
Its terms of reference include making recommendations to guide the drafting of a modern maritime act and reviewing standard operating procedures for maritime activity, safety and investigations.