Investigators probing the sinking of the Bayesian have detailed the final moments of tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s doomed superyacht.
The billionaire entrepreneur, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people killed when the vessel sank off the Sicilian coast on August 19, 2024.
An interim report into the sinking, released by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) on Thursday, shows wind speeds of 63.4 knots (73.0mph) on the yacht’s beam were sufficient to tip it over.
The vessel may have been “vulnerable” to lighter winds, but that information was “unknown” to its owner and crew as it was not included in the stability information book carried on board, the report said.
MAIB investigator Simon Graves said the sails were not raised and the vessel was “running on its engine” before the sinking.
“That indicated a vulnerability that the owner and the crew would not have known about,” he said.
At 4.06am local time, wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (80.6mph), “violently” knocking the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds, investigators said.
“People, furniture and loose items fell across the deck.”
The report went on: “There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells.”
Andrew Moll, chief inspector of marine accidents, said the findings indicated that the “extreme wind” was sufficient to knock the yacht over.
“Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70° the situation was irrecoverable.”
The MAIB is investigating as the Bayesian was registered in the United Kingdom.
No date has been set for when the final report will be published.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.
The MAIB report stated that during the previous day, the Bayesian was sailed to the site where it later sank in order to “shelter” from forecast thunderstorms.
At 3am the following morning the wind speed was “no more than eight knots (9mph)” but a deck hand thought “thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer”.
Some 55 minutes later, the deck hand posted a video of the advancing storm on social media, then went onto the deck to close windows to protect the interior from rain.
They noted that the wind had reached 30 knots (34.5mph) and thought the vessel was dragging its anchor.
At 4am, they woke the superyacht’s skipper.
Several crew members were working in response to the conditions when the vessel was knocked over six minutes later.
Five people were injured “either by falling or from things falling on them”, while the deck hand was “thrown into the sea”, the report said.
Two people used furniture drawers “as an improvised ladder” to escape their cabin.
The skipper instructed guests and crew on an area of the deck to “swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel was sinking”.
Survivors later made their way onto a life raft released from the Bayesian.
They went on to be rescued on a small boat dispatched by yacht Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was also at anchor nearby.
All the bodies of those who died were subsequently recovered by the local authorities.
The MAIB said its report was based on “a limited amount of verified evidence” as a criminal investigation by Italian authorities has restricted its access to the wreck and other pieces of evidence.
A project to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface has been paused since May 9 when a diver died during underwater work.
Further details such as “escape routes” will be included in the final report, according to Mr Graves, who added: “Once we get access to the vessel we’ll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.”
