A Sheriff told a fishing boat skipper that he was not to blame for the death of a fellow crewman who was dragged into the sea and drowned.
Gary Forbes died after his leg became snagged on a creel line being shot into the Minch from the boat the Barnacle 3.
His death near Tanera Beag off the west coast in May 2014 was the subject of a fatal accident inquiry at Inverness Sheriff Court this week.
Yesterday, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told boat owner Roderick Grant: “No blame or fault has been hinted at this inquiry. This was an unfortunate accident. it could not have been a pleasant experience to relive that day.”
A report from the Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) concluded that Mr Forbes was dragged under after his right leg which became caught on a creel line being shot out from the stern of the vessel.
The inquiry heard that Mr Grant was keeping an eye on Mr Forbes, from Aultbea, from the wheelhouse but became momentarily distracted by a distress alarm triggered by a nearby vessel.
Mr Grant’s lawyer, Duncan MacLean, told the Sheriff in his summing up: “This happened within seconds at a time when the vigilant Mr Grant was distracted by the distress alarm which he had to deal with.
“It does appear that Mr Forbes got caught in the buoy line but it is not clear from the evidence because no-one saw it happen.”
When Mr Grant could not see Mr Forbes, 36, on deck, he turned the vessel around
A few minutes later, a wellington boot surfaced, and then Mr Forbes who was floating face down 50 metres away.
The inquiry heard that within 13 minutes, Mr Grant managed to recover his colleague of the previous 15 years at 10.36am through the creel shooting door and frantically gave him CPR.
He also transmitted a mayday message, which was acknowledged by Stornoway Coastguard. He then began CPR on Gary, later assisted by other crew from fishing boats who had come to assist.
By 11.01 the Stornoway coastguard had arrived, winched Mr Forbes on board and flew him to hospital on Lewis where he was pronounced dead.
Mr Forbes fiancee, Caroline Sutherland was in court with Mr Grant but declined to say anything.
Sheriff Fleetwood, who offered her his condolences, will give his determination at a later date.
