Tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah were among seven people who died when the 56-metre Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily last August in extreme winds
Extreme winds caused the doomed Bayesian superyacht to “violently” knock over and sink, British investigators have said.
But the crew aboard the 56-metre boat were “unaware” of the “vulnerabilities” to such severe weather and were helpless when the gusts tipped the boat over last August. Seven people, including the yacht’s owner British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, died in the tragedy off the coast of Sicily.
An interim report into the disaster by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) shows wind speeds reached 63.4 knots (73.0mph). The vessel was in a “motoring condition” with its sails lowered and the centreboard – which is used to help stabilise it – was in a “raised” position when the gales knocked the vessel over.
The findings build a clearer picture on what happened in the moments before the disaster and so the Mirror is able to illustrate this tioday with a more detailed timeline of events, including just how quickly water came in over the starboard rails after the boat sank.
READ MORE: Bayesian superyacht mystery as seven killed in capsize horror – report sheds light on cause
As the Bayesian was registered in the UK, the MAIB is investigating the tragedy. It also killed Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
Speaking today as the interim report was published, Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, said: “You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back up right again.
“And what our studies found was that they show that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds and that these winds were likely to have been evident at the time of the accident.”
Mr Graves said the stability information book did not “consider the effects of wind” because the sails were not raised and the vessel was “running on its engine” before the sinking.
One part of the report reads: “There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells.”
How the Bayesian tragedy unfolded
The MAIB has stressed this is an interim report based on limited verified evidence. The probe continues and, as more information becomes available, a larger report will be issued. However, the findings do provide an agonising breakdown of the events of August 19, 2024;
- 00.30am – Having checked the weather, the captain and the last guest had retired, leaving deckhand (DH1) and the evening steward (S1) on duty. The second deckhand (DH2) took over the watch by 01.00am.
- 03.57am – The winds had picked up to 30kts (35mph) and the Bayesian was listing and dragging its anchor. Within minutes, the deckhand ran to wake up the skipper and the crew leapt into action and began preparing to manoeuvre the Bayesian by starting the generators and steering pumps. The rest of the crew, woken by either the captain or the yacht’s change of motion, got up and made their way out of the crew accommodation.
- 4.06am – The wind suddenly increased to more than 70kts (80.5mph), ripping the awning away. The Bayesian “violently heeled over” in less than 15 seconds to a 90-degree angle. The sudden and brief movement sent people as well as furniture flying across the deck, leaving five people including the captain injured while a deckhand was thrown into the sea.
- 04.24am – The captain and chief officer frantically freed the life raft from the sinking wreck. It was was inflated and the survivors were able to get inside it where the crew began administering first aid. The skipper tried to raise the alarm by shouting at and then paddling towards the nearby vessel, the Sir Robert Baden Powell.