Karsten Borner, the captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was anchored near the doomed yacht that sunk in Italy, has revealed Mike Lynch's surviving wife, Angela Bacares, refused to leave after being rescued because her daughter and husband were still in the water. Mr Borner and his first mate helped the surviving passengers, including Ms Bacares after finding them aboard a raft, offering food, water and blankets. “[Ms Bacares] didn't want to leave because her husband and her daughter were still down," Mr Borner told PEOPLE Magazine.
"She was picked up a little bit later because I asked the Coast Guard to take her as I thought she needed medical help. "Then, over the course of the next two, three hours — [I] don't know exactly how much later — the coast guards came and the rest of the Bayesian people went away with them.” Mr Borner recalled how the weather rapidly worsened in the lead-up to the storm that would sink the $27 million yacht.
“The weather turned very quickly and reached us even more quickly,” he told the magazine. “And the Bayesian was there at the time. It was anchored like us.
We kept an eye on it. We had turned the engine on to maintain our position in case the anchor didn’t hold and were carefully watching it to keep at a distance from it as well. We were the only two ships out in the bay.
” The vessel, with 22 tourists and crew aboard, was caught in a ferocious storm on August 19, while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily. It is understood those on board were asleep at the time, many in their cabins on the lower decks. Emergency services raced to the scene, rescuing 15 people, including a one-year-old baby and her mother.
Italian authorities have since recovered several bodies including tech billionaire Mr Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, Canadian-Antiguan chef, Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley International chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo. The captain of the Bayesian superyacht, James Cutfield, 51, has officially been placed under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck. Mr Cutfield was initially probed as a witness, however, following several witness testimonies and a review of the wreckage, his status was upgraded to suspect.
Prosecutors are particularly focused on the 32-minute delay between the moment the vessel began to sink, and the time when a signal flare was fired to alert rescuers. Mr Borner said the old weather "appeared very suddenly out of the blue and it also stopped very, very quickly". Mr Lynch was enjoying his newfound freedom after being cleared of fraud charges in June when his luxury vessel was hit by a freak storm.
In a statement released last week, the Lynch family said they were “devastated” and “in shock”. "The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends," A spokesperson for the family said in a statement. "Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.
"They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue. "Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.".
