I don't know if this has been posted but take a look. (delete if it's old). There appears to be a mechanical issue/loss of control. The yacht keeps pushing to stbd even after the capt. puts port astern. Once he tags the wall, he continues out (missing the chanel) and grounds it hard It's either mechanical or someone took her for a spin & didn't know anything about boats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3v2VhCdrII&feature=related
Oh you mean this one from Oops! : 10-19-2009, 04:46 PM #144 ERTW Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North America Posts: 38 Drunk captain or mechanical failure? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3v2VhCdrII
Yep! I was asleep at the helm. Was there ever a story that went with this? On youtube, the description said the yacht had backed into a sea wall and terrorized the marina just before the video started. I'm not so sure about a mechanical issue now. More like someone was on some sort of mind altering Ju-Ju.
Well, it's an ASD (azimuthing stern drive) type vessel and supposedly was having control issues. Whether the control issues were mechanical or mental is still up for debate.
Could the Capt still be responsible and still possibly deal with any given consequences from the nations authorities?
In the Bahamas? Not likely. Does a captain retain liability for occurrences after being relieved by the owner? That's an interesting question to which I don't think there is an easy answer. It would be interesting to see examples of case law, and I think that how the situation got to where the owner took it over would have a lot to do with it as well. In general though, when relieved of command, one is also relieved of forward going liability, although if ones incompetence left the vessel in a situation that was unrecoverable, well then I could see it following the master even after relief.