A tragic incident occurred as a young British head chef, Flinn Sessions, lost his life by drowning in a French port after a night out with his fellow crew members on the superyacht Atlantico. The 22-year-old from Wimborne, Dorset, had been working on the yacht for two months while it was docked at La Ciotat near Marseille on June 9, 2023.
During an inquest at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court, it was revealed that Flinn had been socializing with crew members and other yacht workers, visiting multiple bars and consuming alcohol before he accidentally fell from the quayside where the yacht was moored. CCTV footage captured Flinn leaning against a bollard on the quayside in the early hours of the morning before falling into the water and swimming towards the back of the yacht.
Tragically, Flinn was discovered deceased in the water later that morning. Post-mortem examinations conducted in France and the UK confirmed that his cause of death was drowning. Coroner Brendan Allen concluded that Flinn’s death was accidental, stating that he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol while socializing, leading to the fatal fall into the water.
The CCTV footage indicated that Flinn was alone at the time of the incident, showing no signs of ill health and suggesting that it was an unintended tragedy. Consequently, the coroner recorded the conclusion that Flinn’s death was the result of an accident.
