Interim report on sinking of superyacht that killed 7 off Sicily stated the yacht was ‘vulnerable’ to gusts. Investigations in the UK report a gust of high-force wind was most likely the cause of a superyacht belonging to British tech tycoon Mike Lynch sinking off Sicily last year and killing seven.
Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, aged 18, were among the dead when the 56-metre Bayesian capsized during the early morning of August 19. The trip was supposed to be a celebratory one after Lynch’s acquittal in a high-profile fraud case in the United States two months prior.
In a report published on Thursday, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) revealed that the boat was “vulnerable” to high winds – even milder than those that had been experienced at the time of the accident. The report stated that this susceptibility was not known to the owner and crew of the yacht, as it was not in the stability guidance that existed on board.
The agency opened its investigation since the Bayesian was listed in the UK. Yet it admitted that access to the major evidence is still restricted owing to an open criminal investigation by Italian officials. The Bayesian had, according to the UK report, been shifted the previous day to what was thought to be a secure position in preparation for thunderstorms.
But at around 4:06am local time, while in a motoring mode, sails furled and the centreboard up, it was caught off guard by winds of over 70 knots (81 mph), which capsized it in just seconds. You have the wind blowing the vessel over and you have the stability of the vessel attempting to blow the vessel back upright again,” MAIB investigator Simon Graves said.
“What our research determined was that the Bayesian might have been susceptible to strong winds, and those strong winds were probably present when the accident occurred.” Among the other victims were British nationals Jonathan and Judy Bloomer, Chris and Neda Morvillo of the US, and Canadian Antiguan chef Renaldo Thomas. Fifteen individuals survived, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.
