A Royal Navy officer who was in charge of a racing yacht which collided with an oil tanker during Cowes Week has been found guilty of three counts of contravening maritime regulations.
Roland Wilson, a lieutenant in the RN Reserves, was convicted of failing to keep a proper lookout and two counts of impeding the passage of a vessel following a five-day trial at Southampton Magistrates' Court.
The court heard that the 32-year-old was in charge of the 33ft (19.8m) yacht Atalanta of Chester which was in collision with the 869ft (265m) Hanne Knutsen on the first day of the sailing regatta in August 2011 despite the married father-of-one, from Stanley, Perthshire, having seen the tanker from five miles (8km) away.
Footage of the incident, in which one crew member suffered minor head injuries and another abandoned ship, was posted on YouTube and has been viewed more than 900,000 times.
During the trial, Charles Row, prosecuting, claimed that Wilson, who owned and skippered the yacht, sailed his boat, which had seven other crew members on board, ''perilously'' into the path of the 138ft (42m) wide Hanne Knutsen.
Mr Row said Wilson failed to comply with local shipping bylaws which required him to maintain a moving prohibited zone (MPZ) of 1,094 yards (1,000m) in front and 109 yards (100m) either side of a vessel greater than 492ft (150m) long.
Wilson told the court that the tanker had sounded its horn to indicate it was to turn to starboard but then did not carry out the manoeuvre, leaving him in a dangerous position in front of the vessel.
The trial heard that a motor vessel, the Joy C, had lost power and caused the Hanne Knutsen to change its intended course.
Wilson, a physics graduate from Durham University, told the court he joined the Royal Navy in 2006 and left in February this year but still remains a reservist.
At the time of the collision it was the fifth time he had raced at Cowes and he had a flat in the town which overlooked The Solent.
He said he had a short-lived position at financial services company Credit Suisse after he left the Navy until the impending court case came to light.
He is now working on new designs for inflatable boats.
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