A passenger aboard the Cazola Jr insisted there were enough life jackets for everyone on the night of the fatal July 18 collision, but acknowledged under questioning that he had never counted them and was relying on his confidence in the boat’s owner.
The exchange became a central point of Chris Jn Baptiste’s sworn testimony during Wednesday’s hearing of the Maritime Commission of Inquiry, which opened at Parliament on October 13 to examine the incident that claimed four lives.
Jn Baptiste, a painter from Market Road, Soufriere, also faced questions about his identification of another passenger as a lookout, the vessel’s speed and the absence of a safety briefing.
Before commissioners began questioning him, Jn Baptiste requested a change to the police statement he gave on July 21. The statement recorded that he had observed other life jackets but could not tell whether there were enough for everyone.
He disputed the passage expressing uncertainty, telling the commission there were sufficient life jackets for all aboard. The chair noted his request to remove that portion of the sentence.
However, when later asked how many life jackets were on the vessel, Jn Baptiste said he could not say. He told commissioners there were nine people aboard.
Pressed to explain how he could be certain there were enough, he replied, “I know the owner of the boat is very responsible.”
A commissioner questioned whether that confidence amounted to an assumption. Jn Baptiste acknowledged, “Yes, it’s an assumption,” but continued to maintain that the supply was sufficient.
“Like I tell you, boss, I know it was sufficient for everyone,” he said.
His testimony also drew scrutiny over whether anyone had been assigned to keep watch ahead of the vessel.
Jn Baptiste identified passenger Janel Butcher as the lookout. Commissioners reminded him that Butcher had testified earlier that he was not performing that role.
Although Jn Baptiste initially agreed that describing Butcher as the lookout was incorrect, he later repeated the claim. When the chair asked what supported his conclusion, he confirmed that it was based on Butcher’s position in the bow, where he believed a lookout would normally sit.
On the return journey from Gros Islet to Soufriere, Jn Baptiste said boat owner Dwight Pascal asked captain Tyson Hippolyte to reduce his speed. According to the witness, Hippolyte complied immediately, and no other passenger expressed concern about the speed.
Jn Baptiste described the vessel as travelling “fast, but not at full speed,” explaining that he had previously experienced it travelling faster.
He said the sea was choppy, the wind was strong and visibility was poor. Despite those conditions, he maintained that the boat felt stable and that he felt safe.
Wednesday’s testimony was his first account of travelling aboard the vessel with Hippolyte as captain, he confirmed. On his previous trips aboard Cazola Jr, another captain had operated the boat.
Jn Baptiste told commissioners that no safety briefing was given that night. He said a passenger requested a life jacket during the return journey because he could not swim.
Asked about his own decision not to wear one, Jn Baptiste said he could swim and did not feel he needed one at that point.
He maintained that Cazola Jr’s red, green and white lights were illuminated when the vessel departed and remained on throughout the journey. He said he saw no other vessel or lights on the water before the collision.
He also recalled no warning, change of direction or reduction in speed immediately before impact.
Describing the collision, Jn Baptiste said he felt a heavy impact accompanied by a loud crashing noise, followed by a separate rough sound from the engine. According to his account, Hippolyte then switched off the engine.
Jn Baptiste said he remained aboard, along with Pascal, Lester Jean and the captain, and heard a call for help coming from his right.
He also told the commission that he did not observe the captain using the vessel’s VHF radio during the journey and saw no safety equipment being used during the rescue.
As questioning continued, a commissioner reminded him that four people had died and stressed the importance of identifying safety gaps to help prevent another tragedy.
Jn Baptiste maintained his account. Asked at the close of his evidence whether he wished to change anything he had said orally, he replied, “No.”
He told the commission that he sustained a cut to his shin in the collision.
