INTERVIEW: Bob Gainey

In May of 2007, Bob Gainey along with his children Anna, Colleen and Stephen created the Gainey Foundation to commemorate Laura and Gainey's late wife, Cathy, who died of cancer in 1995. The Foundation funds charitable causes that offer environmental and arts education programs for young people. Visit the website.

Hockey legend, Bob Gainey, is the father of Laura Gainey. He spoke to Gillian Findlay of the fifth estate about the investigations into his daughter's death.

Gillian Findlay: SO WHAT IS – WAS YOUR IMPRESSION THEN OF CAPTAIN SHEER AND THE INVESTIGATION THAT HE DID?

Bob Gainey:I was able to have a good rapport with Captain Sheer right from the beginning. I met him in late December in St. Kitts and he took time to educate me a little bit and to clarify and answer questions. He had a sensitivity towards our family situation.

And he was open without giving away his unbiased position, without giving away his military background. He would always call me Mr. Gainey and so I had a good – I felt confident with him that ah he was there to find out what pieces hadn't fit together which created a situation which cost a life….

Gillian Findlay: HE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED THAT THERE BE A SAFETY STAND DOWN, AND AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY STAND DOWN.

Bob Gainey:He did.

Gillian Findlay: DID YOU KNOW THAT AT THE TIME?

Bob Gainey:Yeah. Well I got that as part of a brief report in mid-February. And I assumed it was taking place. And at some point, maybe a month later, I asked in conversation – all of that must have been completed. I assumed if the ship was operating again that stand down had happened, those changes had been addressed. And really what had happened was nothing. That the Cook Islands Registry had decided to shelve Andy's report and go on and create a new report under the title of the Marine Board of Inquiry that they put together.

Gillian Findlay: WHY DID THEY DO THAT DO YOU THINK?

Bob Gainey:Well, I think it's evident that they didn't like Andy's report and they told him they didn't like his report. They pushed him to change his report and when he wouldn't do that they pushed him and his report aside. And the report that was delivered to us eventually from the Marine Board of Inquiry which was made up of people involved in the Cook Island Registry really didn't represent anything similar to what we'd seen in Andy's brief report in February.

Gillian Findlay: THIS IS A REPORT THAT BASICALLY CONCLUDED THAT AH THE SHIP WAS EXTREMELY WELL RUN AND THAT THERE WAS A STRONG ETHIC OF SAFETY.

Bob Gainey:Well, the report – what it – you know, what it did was it just shone the light of guilt on Laura Gainey. And it was her problem, that she had taken the risk to go to sea. It was her problem that she had walked out on to the ship. It was her problem because she had disobeyed orders which has since been refuted. It was just, I think they described it as she was an unlucky victim. And any of the other areas of safety or procedure of equipment, of preparation, of decision making to go to sea were all massaged and rationalized and pushed aside so that there was no responsibility for the Picton Castle entity, no responsibility for the Cook Islands Registry entity and all of the responsibility was on Laura.

Gillian Findlay: WHEN YOU READ THAT WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Bob Gainey:Well I mean I was – I was sickened and I was angry and I was angry at myself for believing that this group, because I did believe that they would put the loss of a crew member ahead of the possibility that they might be exposed for responsibility. And it just didn't happen. And I think what the crew of that ship and trainees on that ship need to know is it could have been them. And it just happened to be her and – she's the – she's the poster child for if this happens on this ship this is the way you'll be treated.

Gillian Findlay: WHY WOULD THE COOK ISLANDS NOT WANT THE TRUTH TO COME OUT? WHY WOULD THEY BE PARTY TO THIS?

Bob Gainey: Well, because there's vulnerability there in areas of safety, of procedure, of responsibility. And I think that there's – there's a protection going on for fear that they would be exposed to the scrutiny of – okay so here are the things that happened and either the Cook Islands Registry hadn't done the proper work or the ship hadn't been properly prepared. And so like any lie or cover-up it's to try to take something that's happened and change the results.