A CAR ferry officer walked free from court today after being cleared of any involvement in the deaths of three sailors who died in the English Channel when their yacht sank without a trace.

Michael Hubble, 62, said he would now get on with his life and go back to sea.

He was formally cleared of endangering the lives of James Meaby, 36, Jason Downer, 35, and Rupert Saunders, 36, at Winchester Crown Court when the jury told the judge they could not reach verdicts.

The men died when their yacht the Ouzo sank off the Isle of Wight in August last year.

Yesterday Hubble, of Wine House Lane, Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone, Kent, was found not guilty of the sailors' manslaughter by the jury.

Today the seven women and five men told the judge, Mr Justice Owen, they could not agree on verdicts on three lesser charges, under the Merchant Shipping Act, of engaging in conduct as a seaman that was likely to cause death or serious injury to the men.

The judge then discharged the jury after 33 hours of deliberating. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed they would not seek a re-trial as it was not in the public interest.

Speaking outside court Hubble said: ''The families of the men have my deepest sympathy but the demise of those men was nothing to do with me, or any action of mine or the Pride of Bilbao. I have never done anything negligent in my life.''

Mr Hubble's solicitor, Kerry King, added: ''We are extremely pleased with the outcome. Mr Hubble has always maintained that the decision he made as the officer on watch was the correct one.''

Hubble was in charge on board the 37,500 tonne P&O ferry Pride of Bilbao when the prosecution alleged he turned ''a blind eye'' to the close quarters incident with the 25ft Ouzo in the early hours of August 21.

Hubble denied both the manslaughter and the Merchant Shipping Act charges.

He said during the trial that he saw a yacht, which he maintained throughout was not the Ouzo, pass close by the ship, and he then saw its lights astern, and did not think there was a problem, so he carried on.

The prosecution claimed he should have stopped the ship, called the captain and alerted the coastguard, because the yacht was so close to the ferry and he did not know if they were safe.

During the six-week trial the jury heard the three men, who were school and university friends, left Bembridge on the Isle of Wight on the evening tide of August 20, en route to Devon to take part in the Dartmouth regatta.

Experienced sailor Mr Saunders, from Tooting, south London, was the owner and skipper of the Ouzo.

Mr Meaby, also from Tooting, and Mr Downer, from Kent, were also experienced sailors.

All three men were found dead with their lifejackets on and inflated. Mr Meaby stayed alive in the water for 12 hours and the other two men three hours, before they either drowned or succumbed to hypothermia, the court was told.

The prosecution claimed the much faster 177 metres long ferry came into the vicinity of the Ouzo six miles south of the Isle of Wight at 1.07am on August 21.

Hubble, who had more than 40 years' experience at sea, was in command on the ferry's bridge, as the captain Alastair McFadyen had gone to bed.

Also on the bridge was the lookout David Smith, as the ferry steamed at about 21 knots to Bilbao.

In the witness box Hubble said he had a close quarters incident with a yacht, which was not the Ouzo, but explained he was ''perfectly happy'' his vessel had missed it and that he had no reason to call the captain.

He said that manoeuvres he made first to port and then to starboard were only to give the yacht room because it had gone into his ''comfort zone'' and they were not an emergency.

He said he watched the yacht pass down the starboard side of the ferry and he lost sight of it before he saw its lights twice to the stern of the ship.

''I was perfectly happy that that vessel was absolutely safe. I had no doubt of the safety of that vessel,'' he told the jury.

During the trial the jury did not see a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report into the deaths, which said the lookout on the Pride of Bilbao, David Smith, did not see the Ouzo until it was too late because of the type of glasses he was wearing.

Mr Smith, who was slightly short-sighted, was wearing glasses with photochromic lenses which ''effectively reduced his ability to see small lights by at least 20 per cent'', the report found.

The MAIB also said it was ''firmly of the opinion'' the close quarters incident was between the Pride of Bilbao and the Ouzo.

The report said that Hubble had made ''a serious error of judgment'' in not calling the master when he passed close by the yacht.

The report added that according to a psychologist this response ''most probably reflected a lack of appreciation rather than a deliberately cavalier attitude'' by Hubble.

The jury did not see the report for legal reasons because the Merchant Shipping Act does not allow the report to be used as part of any prosecution.

In a joint statement released by Hampshire Police, the families paid tribute to the three dead men.

''They enjoyed life to the full. They worked hard and played hard. They were safety-conscious sailors. Safety first, safety second, safety third.

''Each of us has been devastated by the death of a much-loved family member who gave us so much pleasure and enjoyment.''

Maritime trade union Nautilus, which represents more than 18,000 ship masters and officers, said there was a knee-jerk reaction following accidents at sea to criminalise the maritime profession.

''There is extreme concern among our members about the potential dangers posed by the large numbers of yachts and pleasure craft operating in and around busy shipping lanes like the Solent and an incident like this could occur at any time,'' a spokesman said.