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What we know about the Bayesian superyacht that sank

The Bayesian, which capsized in the early hours of Monday, was an award-winning yacht with the second-tallest mast in the world.

News reporter @niamhielynch

Friday 23 August 2024 12:37, UK

The Bayesian, an award-winning superyacht, sank during bad weather off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Thursday, authorities confirmed divers had found the bodies of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley International boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, and one of Mr Lynch's lawyers Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda.

Recaldo Thomas, the on-board chef, was the first to be confirmed dead earlier this week.

Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued along with 14 others - including Charlotte Golunski, a mother who told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old baby above the waves to save her from drowning.

Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah is missing, but believed to be the seventh body recovered from the wreckage on Friday.

But what do we know about the ship?

The British-flagged 56-metre ship - previously called the Salute - was built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, and refitted in 2020.

More on Superyacht Sinking

'My little angel': Sister of final yacht victim Hannah Lynch speaks for first time since tragedy

How is the sinking of Mike Lynch's Bayesian superyacht being investigated?

Superyacht boss asks why Bayesian crew were not in 'state of alert' for storm

Related Topics:

• Superyacht sinking

Its 72-metre mast was the world's tallest aluminium mast, and the second-tallest overall. The yacht could reach a maximum speed of 15 knots and weighed 543 tonnes.

The French design house Remi Tessier fitted out the Japanese-style interior decor, with touches of light and dark beige and dark wood furnishings, as well as a teak deck.

It won the best exterior styling at The World Superyacht Awards in 2009, and best interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards 2008.

It had six guest bedrooms - one master, three doubles, and two twins - holding 12 people, and could carry another 10 crew members.

Pictures show air conditioning units in several of the bedrooms, which could counter expert claims open windows may have caused water to rush in and tip the boat over faster.

Shipspotting.com says it was owned by a firm called Revtom Limited. Mike Lynch's wife, Ms Bacares, is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents.

Read more from Sky News: Lynch's co-defendant dies after being hit by car We can learn from Lynch's unsuccessful prosecution

The yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune involved a statistical method known as Bayesian inference, based on an 18th-century theory, which helps forecasters predict outcomes more reliably.

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It was listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week, according to online charter sites.

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Investigators seek answers to why luxury superyacht Bayesian sank in storm

Italian and British authorities are trying to determine why a 184-foot luxury superyacht sank in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily early Monday. Divers have recovered six bodies.

According to witnesses, the sailing ship Bayesian was struck by a waterspout while at anchor. It sank quickly in 160 feet of water about half a mile off the Sicilian coast near Porticello around 5 a.m. local time.

Twelve guests and 10 crew members were aboard the ship when it sank. Fifteen people were rescued. The body of one man, the ship’s chef, was found later that day.

Names of the deceased have not been officially released by Italian police, but those aboard included British tech mogul Mike Lynch, the ship's owner, and his daughter Hannah, 18.

Mike Lynch's body has been recovered , USA TODAY reported. His daughter's body was recovered early Friday .

Profile of the superyacht Bayesian

The Bayesian was built in Italy by Perini Navi and delivered in 2008. It was one of 10 models and sailed under the United Kingdom flag.

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.  

Who was aboard the Bayesian when it sank?

With the recovery of Lynch and his daughter, a total of seven bodies were found after the sinking:

• Christopher Morvillo, an attorney from New York
• Neda Morvillo, his wife
• Jonathan Bloomer, a Morgan Stanley executive
• Judy Bloomer, his wife
• Recaldo Thomas, the ship's chef

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was among those rescued.

Lynch was acquitted on fraud charges in June stemming from the sale of his tech company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard. Prosecutors said Lynch and another executive misrepresented Autonomy revenue.

The yacht trip around southern Italy was planned as a celebration of Lynch's acquittal.

Where the yacht went down

What are investigators focusing on.

The Bayesian is the type of ship that’s “unsinkable,” says Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns the company that built the vessel, reported the Independent. Costantino said it was one of the safest boats in the world.

Italian authorities in the town of Termini Imerese Sicily, and the U.K.'s Marine Accident Investigation Branch are investigating the sinking. The ship's captain, James Cutfield, has been questioned.

Early reports said the ship's 240-foot aluminum mast had broken, but Italian divers later said the vessel was intact , according to The Wall Street Journal.

Investigators will try to determine whether the ship's crew followed safety procedures, which include closing portholes and hatches ahead of the storm's arrival.

Contributing: Christopher Cann and Cybele Mayes-Osterman

Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; boatinternational.com; marinetraffic.com

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Live updates: Seven dead in 56m superyacht Bayesian sinking tragedy

Seven people have died in the Bayesian sinking disaster, according to the BBC. These include the six missing people who were inside the yacht when it sank, as well as a seventh person who was located shortly after the disaster. The seventh person is understood to be the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas. The other six are:

• British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, once dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates'
• Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah
• Morgan Stanley's chairman, Jonathan Bloomer
• Judy Bloomer, wife of Morgan Stanley chairman
• Chris Morvillo, a lawyer working for London-based law firm Clifford Chance
• Neda Morvillo, an American jewellery designer and Chris' wife

It is understood that the yacht was being used to celebrate Lynch's recent victory in a 13-year £8 billion fraud acquittal.

No one remembers the mast snapping before 56m superyacht Bayesian sunk, says crew

No one recalls seeing the mast snap on board the 56-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht Bayesian which sank off the Italian island of Sicily on 19 August. The eyewitness account of a crewmember on board the vessel, which was obtained by BOAT International , said that the boat was struck by a freak weather event which led to the yacht heeling at around 20 degrees to starboard. As crewmembers were securing items, the heeling angle began to increase rapidly until the yacht started taking on water and sank rapidly.

The crewmembers who were up on deck were able to evacuate the yacht with minor injuries. The yacht is understood to have sunk in just twelve minutes, and it is believed that a "major ingress" of water from the top down would have caused the sinking, according to a captain who wishes to remain anonymous. This is based on the fact that no breaches have been reported in the yacht's hull, and the fact that the yacht should have been able to remain afloat with two flooded compartments.

"Very difficult to understand what could have overwhelmed a vessel of that size" says captain of sistership

The captain of the sistership to the sunken 56-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht Bayesian has said it is "very difficult to understand what could have overwhelmed a vessel of that size" and called the 56-metre Perini Navi series "bulletproof".

David Hutchinson, captain of Rosehearty , said he had taken the yacht around the world multiple times and he had "total faith in the boat".  "We've been to Antarctica and Chile, and we've had her in 70 knots of wind," he says, and the vessel had never put them in a situation that felt unmanageable.

However, Hutchinson noted there were differences between Bayesian and Rosehearty ; notably, Bayesian's  74-metre mast, which would have been heavier and added increased windage. The yacht's layout was also different, with guest accommodation on Bayesian located further forward.

Live updates

• A search and rescue for six missing people has concluded. The final missing person is understood to be Hannah Lynch. 
• According to Reuters, six bodies have now been found in the sunken yacht. These include Mike Lynch, a British technology entrepreneur who co-founded Autonomy Corporation and founded Invoke Capital, although Italian authorities have not confirmed this.  
• One person was found immediately after the yacht sunk, and this is understood to be the yacht's chef. 
• Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and a one-year-old are among the fifteen people rescued along with Bayesian' s captain, James Cutfield.
• Another sailing vessel in the area, the 42-metre Sir Robert Baden Powell ,  stepped in to offer assistance in the initial rescue.
• Divers have been able to reach Bayesian' s sunken hull, which lies at 45 metres of depth about half a mile from the coast. The yacht had the largest aluminium masts of any sailing yacht on the water.
• Eyewitnesses in the area reported "hurricane" conditions off the coast but local weather websites did not indicate any severe squall, which suggests that the weather event was not forecast.
• At around 5am local time on 19 August, Bayesian was hit by bad weather and sunk.  The sailing yacht was anchored or idle at the time of the incident.

Built in Italy by renowned builder Perini Navi and delivered in 2008, the yacht's naval architecture was developed by Ron Holland Design while the interior design is by Rémi Tessier . She was formerly known as Salute and was last refitted in 2016. She was listed for sale earlier this year, according to BOATPro . The yacht had accommodation for nine guests and 12 crew.

BOAT International will update the story as it develops.

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