Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
The Independent
Everything we know so far about the search for Mike Lynch and the Bayesian superyacht sinking in Sicily
By Rachel Hagan and Jabed Ahmed,
9 hours ago
The search for British billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter continues a day after his luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo .
What do we know about the missing people on the yacht?
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is among six tourists missing, The Independent understands. Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to a $11 billion (£8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.
One man has been confirmed dead with photos on Monday showing a body bag being lifted to shore where ambulances were waiting. Multiple agencies are reporting he is the boat’s chef. Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, according to Italian newspaper la Repubblica.
Have you been affected by this story? Email rachel.hagan@independent.co.uk
Mr Lynch had planned the superyacht cruise as a celebration with family, employees and lawyers who supported him during the decade-long trial.
Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo are among those missing.
Divers are still searching for the remaining six passengers unaccounted for: Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Stanley International non-executive chairman Jonathan Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and their two wives Judy and Neda.
Among the 15 survivors rescued from a lifeboat was Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares. Another survivor, Charlotte Golunski, 35, told Italian journalists how she saved her one-year-old daughter Sofia from drowning.
The ‘Bayesian’ sailing boat (EPA)
She told la Repubblica she lost Sofia for “two seconds”, adding: “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch’s firm, called Invoke Capital.
Charlotte, Sofia and Charlotte’s husband, James have now been discharged from hospital.
Ayla Reynold, a Kiwi working at Clifford Chance, also survived the horror with her partner. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to The Telegraph she had been invited aboard as thanks for assistance in Mr Lynch’s recent court case. He said that his daughter had not given many details about what happened, but said: “there are deaths and she and her partner are alive.”
Where did the yacht sink?
The luxury yacht sunk off the coast of Palermo, Sicily.
The 56-metre-long sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.
Map showing where superyacht sank off Sicily (PA Graphics)
“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.
Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days - with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country - after weeks of scorching heat.
The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
The Bayesian superyacht
The Bayesian superyacht is 56 metres long, according to VesselFinder.
The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and is listed for rent for up to 195,000 euros (£166,000) a week. Her registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.
Bayesian completed several sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.
Formerly known as Salute, or health in Italian, its 75-metre mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Italian shipbuilder Perini said on its website.
The route of the Bayeasian yacht took in its final hours before the storm (vessel finder)
Perini constructed the boat in 2008 and it was last refitted in 2020 and was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons.
Camper and Nicholsons International, confirmed to The Independent that the Bayesian sailing yacht “encountered severe weather and subsequently sank.”
A statement continued: “There were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew onboard. The Italian Coast Guard is leading search and rescue operations, and has safely recovered 15 individuals. Efforts to locate the seven missing persons continue. Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0