A COMPANY director has denied the manslaughter of a young sailor from Farnham and his three crew-mates who were killed after their vessel ran into difficulties in the mid-Atlantic.

Skipper Andy Bridge, 22, a former member of Frensham Sailing Club and pupil of Weydon School, together with James Male, 22, Steve Warren, 52, and Paul Goslin, 56, died when their 40ft racing yacht Cheeki Rafiki capsized on the way home from Antigua in May 2014.

Douglas Innes, 41, the director of Stormforce Coaching which owned the yacht, was charged with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter in November, which he denied at Winchester Crown Court on Monday.

He also appeared as representative for Stormforce Coaching and denied a charge of failing to ensure the vessel was operated in a safe manner contrary to section 100 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, adjourned the case and set a date for the trail to begin on June 6, 2017.