A tragic incident unfolded as a young British head chef lost his life by drowning in the waters of a French port after a night of socializing with crew members on a superyacht, according to details revealed in an inquest. Flinn Sessions, a 22-year-old from Wimborne, Dorset, had been part of the Atlantico crew for two months when the yacht was docked at La Ciotat near Marseille on June 9, 2023.

During the inquest at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court, it was disclosed that Flinn had been out with fellow crew members and other yacht workers, visiting various bars where he was observed consuming alcoholic beverages before falling into the water from the quayside where the Atlantico was berthed.

CCTV footage captured Flinn leaning against a bollard on the quayside in the early hours of the morning, eventually falling into the water and swimming towards the yacht’s rear. Tragically, Flinn was discovered deceased in the water later that morning, with post-mortem examinations in both France and the UK confirming his cause of death as drowning.

In a conclusion reached by Coroner Brendan Allen, it was stated that Flinn’s demise was the outcome of an accident. The coroner emphasized that Flinn had consumed a significant amount of alcohol while socializing and, upon returning to the Atlantico in the early hours of June 9, accidentally fell into the water from the quayside. The CCTV evidence clearly indicated that Flinn was alone at the time of the incident, in good health, and did not have any intention for the tragic event to occur. Therefore, the conclusion drawn was that Flinn’s death was an accident.