Tony Hayward has faced fresh criticism for taking time off to go sailing with his son instead of dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

BP CEO sails into another storm

Tony Hayward has faced fresh criticism for taking time off to go sailing with his son instead of dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

In troubled waters: BP boss Tony Hayward. Pic/AFP

In a statement, BP described the outing as "a rare moment of private time" and said that "no matter where he is, he is always in touch with what is happening within BP" and can direct recovery operations if required.

But Hayward, who has been slammed for verbal gaffes that some said suggested he was tone-deaf to the mood in America, was immediately criticised in the US.

Long line of gaffes
The chief of staff to Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, said it was another "gaffe" by the BP chief executive.

"Well, to quote Tony Hayward, he's got his life back, as he would say," he added. "And I think we can all conclude that Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting. This has just been part of a long line of PR gaffes."

The Republican senator for the Gulf state of Alabama, Richard Shelby, said during a tour of areas affected by the spill, "I believe it's the height of arrogance. He is the chief executive of BP, he was testifying in Washington and now he's going out on his yacht in England. That yacht should be here, skimming and cleaning up the oil."

A ban on fishing in much of the Gulf of Mexico and a sharp fall in tourism means that many fishing vessels and pleasure boats have been forced to remain at dock because of spill caused by anu00a0 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Hayward watched his boat Bob take part in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. BP would not say if he had joined his crew on board, or was watching from afar.

1 lakh, number of barrels of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico every day. 1 barrel = 158.6 litres

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