Last photo on board doomed Bayesian yacht: Rescued lawyer who was part of the British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch's legal team posted serene sunset image on Instagram just hours before vessel sank By Sam Merriman and Matthew Lodge Published: 04:48 EDT, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 05:13 EDT, 20 August 2024 e-mail View comments This is the tragic final picture taken on board the doomed Bayesian yacht - with an image of a serene sunset and calm waters posted just hours before the vessel sank. The photo was taken by one of the guests, Ayla Ronald, who shared it on her Instagram story the evening before a freak storm sank the luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily. The lawyer, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, was part of British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch’s legal team and had been invited on the trip as a celebration of his recent court victory.
Ms Ronald, 36, from London , and her partner were among those rescued after the tech tycoon’s £30million superyacht sank just 300 metres off the coast of the Italian island early on Monday morning. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed that she was part of Dr Lynch's successful legal team who were invited to go on the sailing trip along with her partner, Matthew Fletcher. Ayla Ronald, 36, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, shared the final picture taken on board the doomed Bayesian yacht Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald (pictured), 36, from London, and her partner were among those rescued Her father Lin Ronald said that Ayla (pictured) was part of Dr Lynch's successful legal team who were invited to go on the sailing trip Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter.
She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald) He said: 'I have texted with my daughter...
She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive. ‘The only other information I’ve got is that Ayla’s phone is apparently the only one that’s had a battery, and so she’s been acting in some fashion as a co-ordinator with the medics.’ Mr Ronald said his daughter was also a keen sailor.
‘She just passed her captain’s ticket a few months ago in Greece. She’s not an active sailor, but she loves it,’ he told the Telegraph . It comes as the search for six people missing after a luxury yacht sunk in a storm off the coast of Sicily has resumed this morning with divers fearing bodies are trapped inside the vessel.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and a boss from Morgan Stanley, are among those who still have not been found after the £30million superyacht Bayesian went down early on Monday morning. The vessel had been anchored just 300 metres from the coast when it was hit by a suspected freak waterspout amid heavy thunderstorms near the city of Palermo at around 5am. The boat, which had been carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers - went down quickly, with survivors found floating in a life raft describing how they swam for their lives.
Search teams have already found the body of one man, thought to be an onboard chef, and there are fears that more bodies will be found in the hull of the ship by specialist divers today. Search divers head out to the scene of the wreck near Porticello this morning as the operation to find the bodies of those missing continues A fire service vessel and a smaller boat float in the water as divers continue their efforts to get into the wreck of the Bayesian today A police vessel and coastguard ship seen in the waters off Sicily this morning as the search resumes for those missing after the sinking of the Bayesian Emergency services including police and paramedics stand on the pier at Porticello as the search operation continues this morning British tech tycoon Mike Lynch (pictured above) is missing after his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily Mr Lynch, once dubbed the British Bill Gates and worth an estimated £852million, had taken his family and friends on the 'victory' trip after being acquitted of fraud charges. However, the dream trip, hosted by the 59-year-old father-of-two from Suffolk who claimed he was living a 'second life' after almost a year under house arrest, turned into a nightmare and tragedy struck.
In an extraordinary twist, the sinking comes days after Stephen Chamberlain, an ex-colleague of Mr Lynch – who he had successfully fought the fraud case with – died after being hit by a car. As the sun rose over the Mediterranean this morning, the search for the bodies of the six missing people resumed with specialist divers heading 50m (164ft) down to where the wreck of the vessel lies on the seabed. During yesterday's frantic search it was reported that bodies had been seen through the portholes in some of the cabins, although it is believed that divers have not been able to get inside the vessel due to furniture obstructing the way in.
A fire service helicopter stands close to the harbour in Porticello this morning as specialist divers from the emergency service take over search operations Two men in a coastguard vessel head out of the harbour in Porticello this morning, more than 24 hours after the superyacht sank An emergency and rescue service boat searches near the site where a luxury yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19 Mike Lynch's superyacht Bayesian (pictured) was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday, wrecking the boat and causing it to rapidly disappear beneath the waves Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht Your browser does not support iframes. Officials have said those on board the boat were in 'the wrong place at the wrong time', with hope already fading that anyone else will be found alive this morning. The yacht sank as a fierce storm batter the area overnight, with survivors dramatically being rescued from the water including one woman who heroically saved a one-year-old British boy.
Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, 57, who was among the rescued recalls the boat suddenly 'tilted' at around 4am, before glass began shattering. READ MORE Former Bayesian crew member left bewildered how luxury superyacht could sink There are fears that those who are still missing became trapped in their cabins, with divers earlier reporting that they saw 'bodies through the portholes' of the yacht, according to Italian media. Francesco Venuto, the spokesperson for Sicily's civil protection agency, also told the BBC that they 'think [the corpses] must be there [in the boat]'.
Expert divers reached the hull on Monday morning, with more specialist teams brought in as the day went on cables reportedly fixed between the yacht and the surface to allow easier descent. 'The specialists are able to get into small spaces underwater,' a spokesman said. Last night it emerged, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.
The superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a waterspout hit the area just before 5am Monday morning 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 A weather map shows how Mike's Lynch's superyacht was buffeted by winds of up to 150mph before it sank Captain Karsten Borner told the BBC: 'After the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone' The superyacht, which staff employed by Mr Lynch said he was 'proud' of owning, had been lit up and illuminating the night sky when a waterspout - a whirling column of air and water mist - unfolded nearby. The vessel, which was built in 2008 and had a 75-metre aluminium mast - the tallest in the world - overturned during the incredibly high winds, with witnesses claiming it happened so fast that it appeared to have just 'disappeared'. Read More Weather map shows how doomed superyacht of missing Mike Lynch was buffeted by winds of up to 150mph 'The boat was all lit up.
Around 4.30am, it was no longer there,' said one. The Italian Coastguard said in a statement that a nearby boat offered assistance to people before emergency services arrived.
The freakish nature of the event was brought into context by the fact that a Dutch sailing ship, the Sir Robert BP, which was anchored just metres away from the Bayesian, survived unscathed before rescuing 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.
' 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 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 Emergency response teams are seen at the harbour near where the boat sank Monday morning The Sir Robert BP, a Dutch sailing ship which had been anchored nearby the Bayesian, rescued 15 passengers (pictured above is a file image of the Sir Robert BP) The British-flagged Bayesian is thought to have arrived in Porticello after a stopping in Milazzo, around 100 miles up the coast towards the Italian mainland Mr Lynch's wife 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'. Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made from aluminium The enormous 246ft-high aluminium mast on Mike Lynch's superyacht (pictured from above) could have been what caused the vessel to capsize and sink rapidly, according to an expert The group were staying on the vessel, which has been named as the Bayesian - a luxury yacht which sails under the British flag A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy The Bayesian, which was previously known as the Salute, was a 56m long vessel built in Viareggio, Tuscany, by luxury shipmaker Perini Navi in 2008 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. Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, 57, was among the 15 people who were rescued from the 180ft yacht, which had been carrying 10 crewmembers, Mr Lynch, herself, their daughter and nine guests.
Read More The 'missing superyacht six': Morgan Stanley chairman and his wife among those feared dead She has revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian just before 5am this morning was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up. Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board. 'The survivors are very tired and are constantly asking about the missing people,' Doctor Domenico Cipolla, Director of Paediatric Admission and Medicine and Surgery at 'Di Cristina' hospital in Palermo, said.
Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also yet to be found Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Nada are also missing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among those missing after the Bayesian superyacht sank Mr Lynch remains missing while his wife Angela (pictured) survived and is recovering Charlotte Golunski, 36, and her young daughter Sofia were two of 22 people aboard the superyacht when it was battered in a storm before sinking a few hundred metres from the port of Porticello on Monday morning Survivor of the Sicily yacht sinking Charlotte Golunski, who fought to save her baby in the storm British mother Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old baby called Sofia were reported to be among those rescued by a nearby sailboat, with Dr Cipolla confirming that they were treated at the Di Cristina hospital. Ms Golunski, 36, has described how she momentarily lost her daughter in the 'fury of the waves', before finding her and managing to get them both to safety. 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,' Ms Golunski said.
'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.
' Five other people were taken to the Bagheria territorial emergency point. Others reportedly required no hospital treatment, and spoke to authorities about what happened as the incident is being investigated. 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.
Share or comment on this article: Last photo on board doomed Bayesian yacht: Rescued lawyer who was part of the British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch's legal team posted serene sunset image on Instagram just hours before vessel sank e-mail Add comment.
