A passenger aboard Cazorla Jr has told the Maritime Commission of Inquiry that local passengers routinely missed out on safety briefings afforded to tourists, while also alleging that he previously transported hotel guests by boat without a captain’s licence.
Lester Jean gave sworn testimony on Wednesday, October 14, during the second day of public hearings at Parliament into the July 18 collision between Cazorla Jr and Ocean Angel off Anse Cochon, which claimed four lives and left several people injured. The inquiry is examining both the collision and Saint Lucia’s maritime safety framework.
His evidence extended beyond the events that night, raising questions about passenger safety, the verification of operators’ qualifications and oversight of boating activities.
Asked whether passengers received a safety briefing before Cazorla Jr departed Soufriere, Jean replied: “In Saint Lucia, we don’t do safety briefings with locals.”
He repeated that assertion when questioned about the return journey from Pigeon Point, saying it reflected his experience on numerous outings over approximately 10 years.
Jean later clarified that his account concerned trips he had personally experienced. He said outings with local passengers, particularly trips to parties, proceeded without briefings, while tourists received instructions about life jackets and precautions before activities such as snorkelling.
“They only give tourists briefings,” he told commissioners, attributing the difference to tourists paying more.
That explanation was Jean’s assessment, rather than an established finding about the sector.
Questioning also turned to his own experience operating vessels.
Jean, who described his current work as land-based maintenance, including gardening, said he had driven boats without holding a captain’s licence or completing training through the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority.
He alleged that while employed in the watersports department at Sugar Beach approximately 10 years ago, he sometimes operated a vessel of about 28 feet with two engines, carrying guests to nearby diving and snorkelling locations when a captain was unavailable.
According to Jean, those journeys included trips from Sugar Beach to dive sites around Anse Chastanet and Turtle Reef.
Asked whether the hotel had required proof of captain’s certification, he said it had not. He further alleged that a security employee had raised his lack of a licence with human resources, but that he continued to be assigned the work.
A letter dated October 14 and addressed to Jean subsequently circulated, purporting to come from Sugar Beach. It disputed his account of having been employed by the resort and announced an immediate, indefinite ban from its property and beach area.
Saint Lucia Daily Post contacted Sophie Paterson, Associate Director of Public Relations and Marketing at Sugar Beach, Sophie Paterson by email to verify the letter’s authenticity and whether it had been sent to Jean.
In response, the resort provided an official statement dated October 15, rejecting the circulating letter as unauthorised.
Management said neither Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, nor Viceroy Hotels & Resorts had issued or authorised the document. It also said the letter did not feature the resort’s official branding or logos and should not be regarded as an authentic communication from the resort.
The statement described the circulating letter’s claim that an individual had been banned from accessing the beach as false. Management reaffirmed that Sugar Beach remains a public beach, welcoming and accessible to all.
The resort also pointed to facilities it provides for non-resident visitors, including a dedicated visitor car park, shuttle transportation to the beach, approximately 80 complimentary beach chairs, restroom and shower facilities, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
The statement did not address Jean’s claims of previous employment at the resort or his allegations about operating vessels carrying hotel guests without a captain’s licence.
Jean acknowledged that operating without a licence was unsafe. He also clarified that he had never operated Cazorla Jr and had not operated vessels other than dinghies within the past year.
He said he had never been stopped or cautioned about his boat operation by SLASPA, the Marine Police, Soufriere police or Soufriere Marine Management Association rangers.
Returning to the fatal journey, Jean said no one wore a life jacket when Cazorla Jr left Pigeon Point. During the trip, however, Taylor Riviere requested one for her boyfriend, Romaine Williams.
Jean described the jacket being passed between passengers before Riviere helped Williams put it on.
He said he saw no approaching vessel or lights before hearing the collision. Afterwards, he heard people calling for help and realised passengers were missing from the boat.
According to his account, captain Tyson Hippolyte entered the water to assist, while others attempted to control the damaged vessel and move towards shore.
Jean said he retrieved life jackets from a compartment in the bow, threw them out for people to reach and entered the sea as the boat sank.
A commissioner challenged his description of opening the compartment, citing the vessel’s extensive damage. Jean maintained that the cover was still present when he retrieved the jackets.
He subsequently swam to a nearby yacht seeking assistance. When discussion approached an incident aboard that yacht, the chairman stopped further questioning on the details, explaining that a related criminal charge against Jean was pending and that his evidence could prejudice him.
Jean said another boat eventually collected him and other survivors and took them to Ti Kaye. After an ambulance failed to arrive, he said, a further boat transported them to Soufriere.
At the close of Wednesday’s proceedings, the commission indicated that public hearings were provisionally expected to resume on Wednesday, October 21, at 10 a.m., subject to confirmation with Parliament.
