'British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch 'had a lot of pride' in his Bayesian superyacht and kept miniature model and photos of it in the hallway of his Chelsea home, staff member reveals Follow all the latest updates as the search and rescue operation continues here By Elizabeth Haigh Published: 09:04, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 09:24, 20 August 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Staff for British billionaire Mike Lynch have told how he 'had a lot of pride' in his luxury yacht which sank amid a freak storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday, killing one and leaving six people missing. Bayesian, a 56m yacht built in 2008, was struck by a waterspout shortly before 5am yesterday, and was completely wrecked, sparking a major search and rescue operation. While 15 people were rescued including a one-year-old child and Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, the 'British Bill Gates ' is among six people still missing.
Also missing are Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, as well as Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Nada. Italy 's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said on X that early inspections of the wreck were 'unsuccessful' due to limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages. A body, believed to be that of the vessel's cook Ricardo Thomas, has sadly been discovered.
Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US. Lynch is missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Luxury sailboat Bayesian rapidly sank after getting caught up in a 'whirlwind' in Sicily Italian scuba divers at the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy, this morning as rescue teams returned to the site of the storm-sunken superyacht A member of event staff employed at Mike Lynch's Chelsea home told the Times the businessman 'clearly had a lot of pride in the yacht' and kept models of it at his home. Read More The tech billionaire on board sunken superyacht: 'Britain's Bill Gates' Mike Lynch 'He had a miniature model of it and photos of it on the water in the hallway of his Chelsea home.
When I asked him about he told me about its size and how much his family loved spending time on it. 'They had a personal chef who worked both on the boat and in their home. When I visited there were leftovers from their last boat trip in the fridge which he let the serving staff have.
' They said the sinking was down to the yacht's aluminium mast, which is the tallest in the world at 75m. 'The wind toppled the mast, which fell over the side, causing the boat to heel over and take on water, capsize and sink very quickly,' the source said. It is understood Lynch had invited family and friends on the yacht to celebrate his recent court victory over fraud charges in the US.
The billionaire had gathered guests from legal firm Clifford Chance, as well as his own company Invoke Capital after being cleared in June. Ayla Reynold, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph she had been invited aboard as thanks for assistance in Mr Lynch's recent court case.
Lynch remains missing while his wife Angela (pictured) survived and is recovering Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Nada are also missing A life raft is docked at the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy, this morning after the yacht sank leaving six missing Emergency services are continuing a search operation at the site of the wreck today 'I have texted my daughter and she hasn't given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel. She has only said that there are deaths and she and her partner are alive,' he said. Read More The 'missing superyacht six': Morgan Stanley chairman and his wife among those feared dead 'Ayla is a lawyer who is part of the legal team that were invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case.
' The yacht was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers. The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area on Monday night. Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman who witnessed the freak storm, told Italian media he stayed on site for several hours.
'After 10 minutes we saw a flare in the sky, we waited about 10 minutes to see the intensity of the tornado and we went out to sea,' he said. 'We were first to give rescue but we found no one at sea, we only found cushions and the remains of the boat.' The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported that the vessel had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.
Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived Luxury sailboat Bayesian was anchored off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Golunski, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning. She said: '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.' Charlotte and Sofia are being treated in hospital, as is Sofia's father, James Emsley.
Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Calfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar and the French Captain Matthew Griffith. They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian , who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit. Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout – a sort of mini-tornado – that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.
At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Monday: 'We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.' The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors were being deployed to Palermo. A basic assessment of the scene will be made by the team, with no investigation launched at this stage, the PA news agency understands.
Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder. Tragically, it has since emerged that the co-defendant of Mr Lynch in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car whilst out running on Saturday . Gary Lincenberg, Mr Chamberlain's lawyer, said in a statement provided to the PA news agency: 'Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running.
'He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him. 'Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family.
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