London: In what one environmentalist described as "yet another public relations disaster" for embattled energy giant BP, CEO Tony Hayward has taken 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.
Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said on Saturday that Hayward took a break so he could watch his boat "Bob" participate in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. She added that "Hayward is very much in charge until we've stopped the leak."
Robert Wine, a BP spokesman in Houston, said it was the first break Hayward has had since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 people and starting the oil leak.