Could yacht's crew have done more to avert disaster? Experts says guests should have been woken and given life jackets during storm that sunk the Bayesian READ: CCTV captures storm ravaging £30m luxury superyacht before it sinks By Katherine Lawton Published: 12:30 EDT, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 12:31 EDT, 20 August 2024 e-mail 6 View comments Guests on Mike Lynch's superyacht should have been woken up and given life jackets during the storm that sunk the Bayesian, an expert has claimed. The luxury sailboat was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a 'whirlwind' hit the area just before 5am on Monday morning, wrecking the boat and causing it to rapidly sink. Luca Mercalli, one of Italy 's leading crime experts and president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said the crew should have paid better attention to weather warnings and taken more measures to protect passengers.
Professor Mercalli added that although the waterspout which hit the vessel was not predictable, the crew should have been more vigilant. 'I don't know if there was anyone on board consulting the radar,' he told The Telegraph. 'Let's say that if I had been on board, at the first sign of a thunderstorm I would have woken up all the occupants and been ready and alert with life jackets on until the storm was over.
' The superyacht was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends.