Bayesian yacht sinking which killed British billionaire ‘wasn’t down to storm’

The sinking of the Bayesian superyacht ‘wasn’t down to storm’ as investigators confirm the weather was not bad enough to capsize the vessel.

The £30 million boat, which was owned by British billionaire Mike Lynch, sank off the coast of Sicily in August 2024 killing seven people, including Mike and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Investigators found the intensity of the weather amounted to ‘little more than a squall, a sudden increase in wind speed that precedes thunderstorms and downpours’.

This should have been manageable for the crew, and the yacht sank due to improper actions according to the preliminary findings.

Prosecutors are now considering whether they can bring any charges of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck for the captain and two of its crew.

Mike was onboard with 11 other guests – including his daughter, who died, and his wife, Angela Bacares, who was rescued – and 10 crew members.

The other victims were the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas; Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer; and Mr Lynch’s lawyer, Chris Morvillo, and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Reporters questioned Ambrogio Cartosio, public prosecutor, on why  most of the crew left the boat while a number of guests still remained, when the usual practice when there is an emergency is for guests to leave first.

Prosecutors said they were ‘concentrating on this particular aspect’. 

They added that they wanted to ‘discover how much [crew] knew and to what extent all the people [passengers] were warned’.

There is no legal obligation for the captain, crew and passengers to stay in Italy ‘but we expect them to cooperate fully in the investigation’, prosecutors added.

According to reports, Mr Lynch and the group were on holiday celebrating after Mr Lynch was acquitted of fraud in June following a high-profile court case over the company’s sale.

The yacht’s owner, Italian Sea Group (TISG), has blamed the crew for the sinking and sued Mr Lynch’s widow for £400million, claiming the company lost sales after the disaster.

TISG’s majority owner, Giovanni Costantino, an Italian yachting millionaire, claimed that the crew’s incompetence and negligence led to the tragedy on August 19, 2024 – insisting that the yacht was ‘unsinkable’.

Mr Costantino also said the fact that the yacht took 16 minutes to sink meant there was ample time for the passengers and crew to be saved.