Man loses Sydney Harbour crash appeal A DRUNK and unlicensed man who crashed a boat on Sydney Harbour, causing the deaths of six young people on board, has lost his appeal. Percy Small, then aged 26, was jailed for at least five years in 2010 for his part in the May 2008 harbour cruise that ended in tragedy. Ashlie Ayres, 32, Alexander Rumiz, 22, Jessica Holloway, 25, Elisabeth Holder, 20, Stacey Wright, 21, and Alex Nikakis, 30, died after the boat's skipper handed over the wheel of the boat to Small, who was drunk and high on drugs. The boat, which was licensed to carry eight passengers, had 14 revellers onboard when it collided with a fishing trawler. Small was convicted of six counts of dangerous navigation causing death, while the skipper, Matthew Reynolds, was convicted of six counts of manslaughter. Both men were given maximum terms of seven and a half years. Small appealed against both his conviction and the severity of his sentence, submitting the judge erred in giving him the same sentence as Reynolds. He also contended his mere "physical control" of the workboat did not constitute navigating the vessel under the law. However the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday found Small was "the only one that could have taken action to avoid the collision, had he seen the fishing trawler soon enough." The three-judge panel dismissed Small's appeal against his conviction and sentence. He is eligible for parole in 2015.