Fisherman tells of his search for survivors

Eric McIlwraith feared the worst for the crew of the Aquila, which overturned off Ardnamurchan in July 2009.

The Girvan fisherman told a fatal accident inquiry yesterday how he searched for 90 minutes, but failed to locate any of his friends.

Three crew - skipper Tony Hayton, Peter Hilton and Martin Sanderson, all from Cumbria - were killed.

A fourth crewman, Timmy Rowley, managed to survive by grabbing planks to help him float. He was collected by crew on a passing yacht.

But Mr McIlwraith, 48, a close friend of Mr Hayton, said he failed to find any of the other crew members.

He told the inquiry at Fort William Sheriff Court: "I spoke to Peter regularly that day, just socially.

"I had been dredging further south and he was at Ardnamurchan, which is bad for snagging your gear.

"I tried calling Peter later in the day, but there was no answer on their mobiles. I got concerned.

"When I got to the scene the vessel was upside down, floating. There were two lifeboats and another fishing vessel on the scene. I got involved in the search. We were out for about an hour and a half. The lifeboat picked up someone, but we never found anything."

Mr McIlwraith, skipper of his own scallop dredger St Apollo, said he regularly fished with the Aquila and another scallop boat, the Bonny Lass 3.

He said: "I've known Tony about 20 years and we fished most of the time together.

"I had no concerns about Tony's vessel. Ardnamurchan was renowned for being very snaggy ground. You could snag four or five times a day. It was not an unusual occurrence.

"But the fishing is good, that's why we go there. But it can be risky. It is part and parcel of the job. It is dangerous."

Mr McIlwraith told the court that during his conversations with Mr Hayton, the skipper made no mention about bad weather.

He added: "That is something he would have mentioned if there was a problem."

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has already carried out an investigation into the tragedy and found the sinking was caused by the trawling gear snagging on the seabed.

Investigators also found that an increase in the Aquila's ballast in the past 20 years meant it no longer met stability standards for its size.

The MAIB inquiry further found that there had been a 23-minute delay before a rescue helicopter arrived on the scene.This was after "communication errors" following a decision to transfer control of the incident between two coastguard stations.

The report said that, while regrettable, it was considered unlikely that the delay affected the outcome of the accident.

The MAIB report said the snagging of the gear caused the boat to roll to one side and water entered the galley through an open door.

Although the skipper tried to take action, the boat rapidly capsized as it was hit by a series of large waves. The accident was witnessed from the shoreline by a holidaymaker, who called the emergency services.

The fatal accident inquiry continues.