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LONDON (AP) – In what one environmentalist described as “yet another public relations disaster” for embattled energy giant BP, CEO Tony Hayward took time off Saturday to attend a glitzy yacht race around England’s Isle of Wight.
As social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook lit up with outrage, BP spokespeople rushed to defend Hayward, who has drawn withering criticism as the public face of BP’s halting efforts to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
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With Oil Spill in Rearview, BP's Tony Hayward Heads to Yacht Race
Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said Hayward took a break from overseeing BP efforts to stem the undersea gusher in Gulf of Mexico so he could watch his 52-foot (16-meter) yacht “Bob” participate in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.
The boat, made by the Annapolis, Maryland-based boatbuilder Farr Yacht Design, has a list price of nearly $700,000.
The annual Round the Island Race is one of the world’s largest, attracting more than 1,700 boats and 16,000 sailors as famous yachtsmen compete with wealthy amateurs in the 50-nautical mile course around the island.
Not hard to understand that a man so deficient of imagination that he names his yacht “Bob” would fail to foresee what a low down slap in the face this is to the millions who are effected by and struggling to contain the disaster his company saw coming but failed to prevent in the name of the almighty profit margins.
Yes, what a tin ear. He should be in his office all his waking time, portraying the image of a General in his bunker, or a police crisis center. Indeed, sleeping in the office would be a good idea. A man of his position could be excused for having a barber come in to shave him and gourmet meals delivered. Delivered? He probably has a personal office chef anyway and a shower.
Yachting is the worst thing. People might allow him to be in a box at the World Cup, but yachting? He might as well be playing polo.