Cazorla Jr owner Irenus Pascal admitted that no safety briefing was given and that he never checked whether the man captaining his boat held a valid licence before the July 18, 2026 collision that claimed four lives off Anse Cochon.
Giving sworn evidence as the maritime commission of inquiry began public hearings in Parliament on October 13, the Soufriere tour operator faced sustained questioning about his choice of captain, alcohol consumption and the safety precautions taken before the journey.
Cazorla Jr was returning from Gros Islet to Soufriere with nine people aboard when it collided with Ocean Angel. Pascal, who was aboard his vessel, said the group had travelled north to attend an event during the Carnival period.
Pascal said his regular captain, Daryl Paul, had been assigned to captain Cazorla Jr for the planned outing. However, on the day of the event, Paul took his own boat instead, leaving Pascal to find a replacement.
Tyson Hippolyte, whom Pascal said he had used occasionally, then captained Cazorla Jr on both the outward journey to Gros Islet and the return trip to Soufriere.
When commissioners put to Pascal that Hippolyte’s captain’s licence had expired 11 years earlier, he said he had not known. He explained that he had known Hippolyte for decades and had seen him operating boats, including vessels larger than his own.
However, he acknowledged that he had not checked whether Hippolyte remained licensed before placing him in charge of the vessel.
“I’ve never made any check,” Pascal said, explaining that he had relied on his knowledge of Hippolyte’s boating experience.
Commissioners repeatedly challenged that decision, stressing the responsibility involved in entrusting the lives of those aboard to a captain whose credentials had not been verified.
Questions about Pascal’s choice of captain extended to the arrangements under which Cazorla Jr was registered.
He said Paul had been his regular captain for several years and had previously been accepted for the vessel. However, the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority subsequently requested a captain with a higher level of certification.
Pascal said he then used another captain’s credentials to register the boat, listing Paul as crew while continuing to use him as his regular captain.
He acknowledged that the person listed as the vessel’s registered master had never operated Cazorla Jr, telling the commission, “I just use his name.”
Pascal maintained that Paul held a captain’s licence and could operate on the water. Commissioners questioned whether that qualification was sufficient for him to captain Cazorla Jr and indicated that the position required clarification.
The hearing also examined the absence of safety precautions on the night of the collision.
Asked whether passengers had received a safety briefing, Pascal confirmed that none had been given. He said he normally briefed tourists about safety and life jackets but acknowledged that those precautions were not followed on this outing.
He described the omission as part of a wider habit among some local boat operators.
“We don’t do safety briefings. We don’t put life vests on passengers,” he said while explaining practices he claimed were commonly overlooked.
Commissioners challenged that distinction, stressing that safety responsibilities applied equally to tourists, friends, relatives and other local passengers.
Pascal said life jackets were available aboard Cazorla Jr but had not been distributed to the group. During the return journey, one passenger received a life jacket after his girlfriend requested it.
The commission also heard that the vessel’s VHF radio was working but had not been used, that no flares were aboard and that Pascal had not checked the weather forecast before the outing.
Alcohol consumption before the return trip came under scrutiny after Pascal acknowledged buying approximately three or four rounds of beer for members of the group, including Hippolyte.
Pascal said he personally consumed about three or four glasses of Bounty rum and cranberry juice. He maintained that he remained vigilant and understood the risks associated with drinking and driving.
Describing the journey south, Pascal said the sea was choppy and visibility was poor, although lights could be seen along the shoreline.
Near Windjammer, he asked Hippolyte to slow down because he felt the vessel was travelling too quickly for the conditions. According to Pascal, the captain complied immediately and did not subsequently increase speed.
Pascal said a man known as “Movado” acted as lookout on the return journey, sitting near the bow. No warning was given before the collision.
He initially maintained that the lookout’s position would have allowed him to see anything ahead. Under further questioning, he qualified that statement, saying he assumed an approaching vessel with lights would have been visible.
Pascal acknowledged that he could not say what the lookout had actually been able to see. From his own seat in front of the console, he said, he could not see beyond the bow.
His account therefore did not establish whether Ocean Angel’s navigation lights were operating.
Although Pascal said he had heard the lookout tell Hippolyte that he saw nothing approaching, he acknowledged that he had not personally questioned him about the collision. Commissioners challenged that omission, given his responsibility as the vessel’s owner.
Pascal said the impact threw him forward onto another seat.
After Hippolyte entered the water to assist people calling for help, Pascal attempted to move the damaged vessel closer to shore because passengers remained aboard.
The steering was no longer functioning, he said, but the engine was still running. The lookout helped control the engine while Pascal applied limited power in an effort to reach safety.
The boat sank before they could get to shore.
Pascal said he grabbed a life jacket and swam to a nearby vessel, where he borrowed a phone and called his aunt.
Questioned about why he had not first contacted emergency services, he said he was panicking and his aunt’s number was the one he remembered at the time.
Throughout the hearing, commission members expressed concern that Pascal’s responses appeared too casual given the loss of four lives.
Pascal rejected that characterisation, saying he was being honest about what had happened and was not indifferent to the tragedy.
Chairman retired Justice Mario Michel urged him to recognise the seriousness of the incident and the inquiry’s implications for maritime safety, operating practices and regulation.
Pascal was advised that he could be recalled to give further evidence.
The inquiry continues Wednesday at 10 a.m.
