Costa Concordia Captain in Court……………….

Today sees the start of the trial of Francesco Schettino, the 52 year old Capatain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the coast of Italy last January.
Schettino faces multiple manslaughter charges along with a charge of abandoning ship. 52 people lost their lives when the ship hit a rock off the island of Giglio.

Captain Schettino denies the charges even though he was allegedly carrying out a risky night time sail past of the island in order to salute friends on the island.
No doubt many avid cruisers will watch the trial with interest. A ships Captain is ultimately responsible for for the lives and safety of passengers and crew alike, although this seemed to have slipped ~Schettinos mind completely as he was one of the first people to flee to safety, ignoring demands from the local Coastguard to return to his ship.
As cruisers we put our trust in the Captain of our ship to keep us safe and I have every confidence that we are in the safest of hands at sea and that Schettino is a one off – I just hope he gets his just deserts!!
That said, let this be a lesson to those of you who hide in wardrobes and on balconies to avoid lifeboat drill!! I know it’s an interruption to the start of your cruise but it is vital you attend – I always do.