Bayesian yacht's tragic final voyage: How Mike Lynch's luxury vessel sailed from Rotterdam before passing Gibraltar on its way to Mediterranean before her doomed final stop in Sicilian port Mike Lynch's superyacht sailed across Europe on its way to Sicily It passed France, the UK, Morocco and Algeria while travelling to the Med It sunk early on Monday following a tornado near Porticello By Perkin Amalaraj Published: 09:55, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 10:10, 20 August 2024 e-mail View comments British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's award-winning luxury superyacht roamed around Europe's warm waters for days on its way to her doomed final stop in Sicily. The £30million Bayesian, formerly known as the Salute, was being sailed in celebration of the 59-year-old recent acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US. He had invited his family, along with his legal team and guests from his venture capital firm Invoke, to join him on the yacht to toast to his 'second life' after almost a year under house arrest.
The yacht had sailed from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands , making its way past several European countries including Belgium, France , the UK, Spain and Portugal before passing through the Strait of Gibraltar last week, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera . Passing by Morocco's most northern major city, Tangiers, as it went from the north Atlantic to the Alboran Sea, the Bayesian, a 56m long vessel built in Viareggio, Tuscany, by luxury shipmaker Perini Navi in 2008, then passed Algeria, Tunisia and the Italian island of Sardiania before heading towards Sicily. The £30million Bayesian, formerly known as the Salute, (pictured) was being sailed in celebration of Mike Lynch's recent acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US The yacht had sailed from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, (pictured) making its way past several European countries The Bayesian and its crew passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on its way to Sicily It docked in Sicily's Milazzo (pictured) to restock and refuel Mike Lynch (pictured) had invited his family, along with his legal team and guests from his venture capital firm Invoke, to join him on the yacht to toast to his 'second life' after almost a year under house arrest.
Your browser does not support iframes. The last port it docked in before it sank on Monday was in Milazzo, on the east of the island of Sicily. Read More Doomed party, haunting photo and tragedy twist: Yacht celebration was 'wrong place, wrong time' The Bayesian reached Milazzo, often used as a hub for travelling to the idyllic Aeolian Islands, the day before Ferragosto, a public holiday on August 15 with roots in the Roman Empire.
Ferragosto, established by the Roman emperor Augustus in 18 BC, celebrates the end of weeks of what would've been arduous work in fields. Italians typically do not work, an instead head to the beach to cool off in the height of summer. During this period of national rest, the Bayesian sat in port waiting to be refuelled and restocked.
The vessel then meandered down Sicily's northern coast, inching closer and closer to its final destination of Porticello. The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight on Sunday. Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, 57, who was among the rescued recalls the boat suddenly 'tilted' at around 4am, before glass began shattering.
The superyacht had been lit up and illuminating the night sky when a waterspout - a whirling column of air and water mist - unfolded nearby. Experienced cave divers for deep sea recoveries arrive at the pier as a rescue operation continues for the missing people who were on board a sailboat that sank, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, August 19 The superyacht was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a waterspout hit the area just before 5am Monday morning An emergency and rescue service boat navigates on the sea near the site where a luxury yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19 Witnesses have described the moment the yacht went down as very sudden, claiming it was as if it just 'disappeared'. Read More Brit tycoon's doomed Italian-built yacht that sunk off Sicily had world's tallest aluminium mast 'The boat was all lit up.
Around 4.30am, it was no longer there,' said one. 'A normal joyous vacation day at sea turned into tragedy'.
Fisherman Pietro Asciutto said: 'I was at home when the waterspout hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large.
I saw it sink suddenly'. The Italian Coastguard said in a statement that a nearby boat offered assistance to people before emergency services arrived. The Sir Robert BP, a Dutch sailing ship which had been anchored by the Bayesian, is believed to have rescued the 15 survivors.
Karsten Borner, the captain of the boat, described how his vessel was battered by strong gusts, with his team working to stabilise it and manoeuvre it to avoid hitting the Bayesian nearby. Borner told the BBC: 'After the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone.' British tech tycoon Mike Lynch (pictured above) is missing after his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily Experienced cave divers for deep sea recoveries continue the rescue operation for missing people who were on board a sailboat that sank off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, August 19 Italian Coast Guard Command teams and firefighters are carrying out search and rescue operations with helicopters and ships to find the missing people after the Bayesian sank Italian Coast Guard Command teams and firefighters are carrying out search and rescue operations with helicopters and ships to find missing people after a yacht sank on Monday due to a storm east of Palermo in southern Italy on August 19 Fisherman Fabio Cefalù said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4.
30am and immediately set out to the site but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water. Read More How missing billionaire Mike Lynch was victorious in one of biggest-ever fraud trials 'But for the rest, we didn't find anyone,' he said from the port hours later. He said that he immediately alerted the coast guard and stayed on-site for three hours, but didn't find any survivors.
'I think they are inside, all the missing people.' Mr Lynch is among six people missing. His wife tragically revealed on Monday that not just her husband was missing after the yacht sank, but also their 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
Hannah completed her A-levels this summer and had secured a place to study English Literature at Oxford University, according to the Times. Two more passengers on board the Bayesian who are still missing are the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer and his wife. Mr Bloomer is a close friend of Mr Lynch and was confirmed missing by Italian Authorities alongside his wife.
According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Bloomer is the chairman of insurance provider Hiscox and was formerly the chief executive of Prudential before being ousted in a boardroom coup in 2005. The other two yet to be found are Mr Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Nada. Attorney Gary Lincenberg said Morvillo and his wife 'are presumed to be passed away' after the yacht went down near Sicily.
Mr Lincenberg told Business Insider that 'Chris and his wife are gone'. Tragically, the body of a man was found floating alongside the sunken vessel on Monday. Authorities identified the man as Canadian Ricardo Thomas, who was working as the boat's chef and was the only crew member unaccounted for.
His body was recovered, and police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 163 feet off Porticello where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said. Share or comment on this article: Bayesian yacht's tragic final voyage: How Mike Lynch's luxury vessel sailed from Rotterdam before passing Gibraltar on its way to Mediterranean before her doomed final stop in Sicilian port e-mail Add comment.
