Moment ex-Royal Navy officer crashed yacht into bright red 120,000-ton oil tanker at Cowes, landed himself with a maritime negligence charge - and turned himself into a YouTube laughing stock

Roland Wilson crashed 33ft racing yacht into 120,000 ton vessel

It happened on first day of Cowes, the world's largest sailing regatta

Nearly 750,000 people have watched the collision on YouTube




Most sailors would try to give a giant, bright red oil tanker a wide berth.



But Roland Wilson managed to crash a 33ft racing yacht into the 120,000 ton vessel during Cowes Week.

The yacht crewed by senior Royal Navy officers was severely damaged when it breached navigation rules and collided with an oil tanker during a race, a court heard.

The 33ft-long Atalanta of Chester was on the penultimate leg of the race on the first day of the world's largest sailing regatta.

A yacht skippered by Roland Wilson colliding with an oil tanker on the first day of racing at Cowes Week in 2011

Captain Roland Wilson, 31, and his seven man team allegedly strayed into a temporary exclusion zone and ploughed into the side of 870ft-long Hanne Knutsen.

Thousands of spectators watched from the shore as the mast of the yacht was ripped off after becoming tangled in the tanker's anchor.

One of the crew - all of which had served or were serving with the Royal Navy - was injured.

The fully-laden crude oil tanker was making its way up the Solent on its way to Fawley oil refinery, off Cowes, Isle of Wight, on August 6, 2011.

Because of its huge size it had to be escorted by two pilot boats and stay within a strict channel marked by buoys, which smaller vessels were not allowed to enter, Southampton Magistrates' Court heard.

However, Wilson - a former Royal Navy lieutenant - allegedly allowed his Corby sloop to stray into the channel in breach of international navigation rules.

Dressed in a smart grey suit and red and blue striped tie, he denied failing to maintain a proper look out, impeding the passage of the UK-registered tanker, and crossing the channel used by the tanker.

But the sailor has become somewhat of a laughing stock, with 750,000 people watching footage of the collision on YouTube.



The Hanne Knutsen supertanker seconds before it collides with the yacht Atalanta of Chester in the Solent

Captain Roland Wilson has denied flaunting maritime law for crossing out of a designated race zone into the path of the tanker during Cowes Week



The fully-laden crude oil tanker was making its way up the Solent on its way to Fawley oil refinery, off Cowes, Isle of Wight, when the crash happened

Wilson - a former Royal Navy lieutenant - allegedly allowed his Corby sloop to stray into the channel in breach of international navigation rules

Prosecutor Peter Handley, representing the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: 'This case involves a collision between the defendant's yacht - the Atalanta of Chester - and the cargo vessel Hanne Knutsen during Cowes Week.

'The Atalanta of Chester is a racing yacht, which at the time of the incident was racing towards Cowes. It was towards the end of the race on the second to last leg.

'The Hanne Knutsen is a large tanker, which was carrying a cargo of crude oil, loaded in the North Sea and heading for Fawley, to discharge. She was under the guidance of two registered pilots.

Wilson, from Stanley, Perthshire, denies three charges of contravening naval regulations while responsible for a vessel

'Like all large commercial vessels, she came into the Solent from the east, and can only navigate within a safe water, staying between buoys.

Captain Roland Wilson, 31, and his crew are alleged to have strayed into an exclusion zone and crashed into the tanker

'The tanker and the defendant's yacht met. Vessels heading up to Fawley have to begin a very broad turn to starboard, up past Calshot, into Southampton water.

'That is a 120 degree turn, and one of the most difficult parts of the pilotage in that area. There was a collision or contact between Hanne Knutsen and Atalanta of Chester, resulting in the yacht scraping down the port side of the tanker.



'The rigging got caught on the anchor, bringing down the mast. One of the crew on the yacht suffered a minor injury in the process. The incident has achieved some notoriety on the internet.'

He added: 'We do not say that the defendant did not see the tanker at all - that's not the case. But he did fail to make a full appraisal of the situation.'



Nikki Hutchins, defending, said the case should be heard at the Magistrates' Court rather than a Crown Court because nobody was seriously injured, and there was no environmental damage.

She added: 'The crew on the yacht were all serving or former Royal Navy personnel.'

It is believed the crew included a couple of commanders and chief petty officers.

Wilson, from Stanley, Perthshire, denies three charges of contravening naval regulations while responsible for a vessel.

He will face a five day trial at Southampton Magistrates' Court, starting on October 7. A case management hearing will take place at the same court on July 17.

