Six People Have Now Been Confirmed Dead After Yacht Sinks

The British-flagged luxury vessel named Bayesian was carrying 22 people when it got into difficulty off the coast of Sicily. Mike Lynch and daughter among missing after yacht sinks.

The vessel, the Bayesian, ran into trouble early Monday morning with 22 people on board. 15 people were rescued. Six bodies have been found after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

What Might Have Caused The Sinking?

The British-flagged luxury vessel, named Bayesian, capsized near Palermo at around 4:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to ship tracking website Marine Traffic.

It took just 60 seconds for the ship to sink with 22 people on board, 12 passengers and 10 crew, according to the Italian Coast Guard.
Strong winds swept through the area overnight, and waterspouts, essentially tornadoes that form on the water, were observed, according to local media.

Sam Jefferson, editor of Sailing Today magazine, said the yacht could have sunk faster if it had been hot and all the hatches were open.

“I think with all the doors open and because it was hot, there were enough hatches and doors open that she filled up with water very quickly and that’s why she sank,” he said.

However, official images show several rooms have air conditioning, which may refute the idea that opening windows caused the ship to sink faster.

He added that the massive mast may also have played a role.

What Are Waterspouts?

Waterspouts usually occur during thunderstorms and can develop quickly within minutes.

They typically have rotational winds reaching speeds of 75 to 200 miles per hour, but can reach up to 300 miles per hour.
They can usually travel at speeds of around 10 to 20 miles per hour, but can reach higher speeds, making them difficult to avoid – especially on slow objects like yachts.

Maritime Search and Rescue Committee Chairman Matthew Shank called reports of a tornado or waterspout “rare” and “quite alarming.”
“The ship was anchored in a known anchorage,” Mr Shank said.

“Based on the wind direction and sea conditions, the captain knew whether it was a safe anchorage. There was nothing that made me too uneasy. Overall, the captain made a confident decision using the information he had.”

Who Was on Board When The Boat Sank?

The passengers were mainly British and American, with crew from New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

Charlotte Golensky was one of the Britons rescued. Her LinkedIn profile shows she is a partner at Lynch’s firm Invoke Capital, where she has worked since 2012.

After her ordeal, Ms Golensky told Italian media that she lost her daughter Sofia for “two seconds” in the “rage” of the sea, but eventually managed to save her. She said she held the baby over the waves until a lifeboat was ready.

“A lot of people were screaming. Fortunately, the lifeboat was inflated and 11 of us were able to get on it,” she told ANSA.

The girl’s father, James Emslie, also survived, according to Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency.

Also on board were Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley, his wife Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, a top US lawyer working on Lynch’s criminal case, and his wife Neda Morvillo. Divers confirmed they all died in Thursday’s disaster.

The yacht’s captain, James Calfield, and South African crew members Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all survived.

The Italian Coast Guard confirmed to Sky News that Recardo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef working on the boat, was the first person to be found dead.

During the rescue effort, divers pulled out the body of a man at a depth of 50m, and saw the “body” of the sunken vessel through the porthole, said Salvo Cocina, head of Sicily’s civil protection department.

What Do We Know About The Vessel?

Bayes is owned by a company controlled by Mr Lynch’s wife.

It is known for its unusual 72.3m (246ft) single mast, one of the tallest aluminium masts in the world and the namesake of the statistical method on which Mr Lynch’s Autonomy software is based.

She was built by Italian company Perini Navi in ​​2008 and last refitted in 2020.

She can be rented for up to €195,000 (£166,000) per week, according to online charter websites.

The luxury cruise ship is managed by yacht company Camper & Nicholsons and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites.

Its design has won several awards, according to online specialist yachting websites.

Shank said the ship was equipped with rescue equipment and radio communications to a “high standard”. He added that the yacht had met all international standards and UK Coastguard regulations before setting sail.

The vessel left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening with a sailing status of “at anchor,” according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.

The Bayes had previously sailed in other parts of Sicily and was last seen off the coast of Porticello.

Marine traffic data showed the vessel was seen off the coast of Cefalu on Sunday before heading toward Porticello.

The yacht had sailed around the four Aeolian Islands north of Sicily in the previous days.

Previously, when she sailed under the Dutch flag, she was called Salute, which means “health” in Italian. Her minimalist interior, with light wood with a Japanese touch, was designed by French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions on charter websites.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the sinking.