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LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE CAPTAIN OF THE REEL WILD
By T.F. 12/07/2025
On Saturday, December 21 in the early evening, a 16-meter-long tender, the Reel Wild, an annex of a yacht moored in the port of Gustavia, the Loon (68 meters), finished its navigation on rocks, at the tip of the Anse des Cayes, on the side of the Anse des Lézards (JSB 1587 and 1598). Of the eleven occupants, all members of the yacht's crew and of American nationality, six were transported to the Irénée de Bruyn hospital, including a young woman ejected from the boat when it touched land. Seriously injured in the face (including several fractures in the jaw) and in one leg, she was transferred the next day by medical plane to Miami. The victim, accompanied by two other crew members, has since taken legal action against the captain, Paul Reid Clarke.
Abandonment of orders
According to the American site Triton, Natalia Niznik, Klara Holubova and Austin Scaccianoce are represented by the Moore & Company firm of Coral Gables, Florida. All say that Captain Clarke was at the control of the Reel Wild on the night of the accident. "He would have abandoned the ship's helm and let the annex sail at a speed of between 77 and 82 km/h in total darkness," reports Triton's article, referring to the content of the complaint. The three crew members hope to see their request accepted so that a trial can be held before a jury.
In early May, Paul Reid Clarke filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. The captain states that "the allegations made in the complaint do not constitute sufficient judicial facts to submit him to the law of Florida since he is not a citizen of the United States, does not reside in Florida, does not own personal property in Florida, does not carry out any business there on an individual basis, has not caused any personal injury or material damage, and that the facts in question occurred in Saint-Barthélemy," Triton's article details. A request to which the plaintiffs responded by bringing a long list of evidence that Paul Reid Clarke lives in Florida (in Fort Lauderdale): company files, mailbox, criminal record extract for a traffic violation in 2017, fishing licenses dating from 2023, testimonies from other crew members who explain that they were invited to the captain's home, etc. The investigation of all these documents is in progress.
French investigation still in progress
At the same time, an investigation entrusted to the maritime affairs of the Cayenne prosecutor's office, in Guyana, was opened in the days following the accident. The on-board instruments were seized to determine who was at the control of the boat at the time of the accident. On videos filmed using smartphones from Ti Saint-Jean beach, we can see the occupants of the boat leaving a beach restaurant after having feasted throughout the afternoon, consuming a large amount of alcoholic beverages.
After being rescued by the Stis and the gendarmerie on the evening of the accident, the crew members were transported to the Bruyn hospital. There, on the advice of an American lawyer and a lawyer from Saint-Barth, the crew had refused to undergo toxicological examinations. The Loon's Patreon page has since been deleted, as have accounts on Instagram and Facebook as well as videos on YouTube.
For the time being, while legal proceedings have only just begun in Florida, the maritime affairs magistrate of the Cayenne prosecutor's office has not revealed the progress of the French investigation.
