Bayesian yacht sinking latest: Captain ‘insists he did everything he could’ to save passengers

Captain James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith all under investigation for manslaughter

Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss

The captain of the Bayesian has insisted that he did everything possible to save those on board the superyacht, according to local reports.

Sources close to James Cutfield, 51, told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that the 51-year-old New Zealander is currently living through the darkest days of his life as he is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

They reportedly said Mr Cutfield repeatedly insists that he did not abandon any of the 22 passengers and crew and that he did everything could could to save them.

However, there reached a point when he could do little as the vessel had taken on too much water, they added.

Since Wednesday, Tim Parker Eaton, the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster, are also under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said on Friday.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who were killed after his superyacht capsized and went down on 19 August within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm off the coast of Sicily.

Key Points

• Captain of Bayesian ’insists he did everything he could’ to save those on board
• Italian prosecutors widen probe into sinking of superyacht to two more crew members
• Mike Lynch’s wife didn’t want to leave wreck scene without family, says captain of boat near sinking
• Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says

[29 August 2024 13:00 · Tara Cobham]

Full story: Two more crew members under investigation over sinking of superyacht Bayesian

Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter after seven people were killed when the superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily last week.

A judicial source said on Wednesday that Italian prosecutors are probing two more crew members in connection with the vessel’s sinking, along with its captain, after the British-flagged Bayesian capsized on 19 August while anchored off northern Sicily.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his 19-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, and five other people died when his 56-metre-long (184-foot) yacht went down within minutes of being hit by the pre-dawn tornado near the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

Read more here:

[29 August 2024 14:00 · Tara Cobham]

Sinking of ‘unsinkable’ Bayesian puzzles experts

The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini and deemed “unsinkable”, should have withstood the storm – and, in any case, should not have sunk as quickly as it did. Meanwhile, a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed.

Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near Palermo, said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” – a localised, powerful wind, which descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

They added that their investigation would take time and would require the wreck of the Bayesian – which is lying on its right side, at a depth of around 50 metres (164 feet) – to be salvaged from the sea.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

[29 August 2024 15:00 · Tara Cobham]

Who was on the Bayesian?

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.

After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.

My colleague Rachel Hagan outlines what we know about the 22 people on board:

[29 August 2024 16:00 · Tara Cobham]

Blackbox sheds light on tragic final minutes of billionaire’s superyacht trip

It was supposed to be a summer celebration.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch had gathered his tried and trusted lawyers who had been with him every step of the way helping him emerge unscathed from a gruelling 13-year legal battle. Twelve guests had flown into the picturesque Italian port of Porticello, near Palermo from the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, to mark the end of the fraud trial that had consumed much of their lives.

But now a manslaughter investigation has been launched as Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the vessel capsized during bad weather in the early hours of Monday morning.

My colleagues Barney Davis and Jabed Ahmed report:

[29 August 2024 17:00 · Tara Cobham]

Captain of Mike Lynch's yacht leaves Sicily on private jet

The captain of Mike Lynch's yacht flew out of Palermo on Thursday, 10 days after the British tech tycoon and six other people were killed when the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily.

James Cutfield left the Sicilian capital on a private jet, an investigative source said, adding the destination of the flight was unknown. Cutfield, a New Zealander, lives with his wife in Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Cutfield was put under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck earlier this week and declined to answer questions from prosecutors on Tuesday.

Two other crew members were placed under investigation on Wednesday. Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

Those facing investigation have no obligation to stay in Italy but have to nominate lawyers so that the authorities have a way of remaining in contact with them.

[29 August 2024 18:48 · Andy Gregory]

Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss

[29 August 2024 20:45 · Reuters]

Former captain of Bayesian offers insights into yacht’s sinking

The swift descent of the Bayesian underwater has puzzled seafarers and nautical engineers, who say the vessel should have taken hours to fill up with enough water to sink it.

There have been suggestions that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, or were broken or smashed by the storm, letting in water.

The yacht was capable of tilting to around 75-90 degrees, depending on whether its keel was up or down, and still revert to upright position, former captain Stephen Edwards wrote on his Linkedin profile.

He said the “Downflooding Angle”, at which water could start entering the vessel via the engine room or ventilation ducts, was 40-45 degrees, and once surpassed, would have put the yacht “in serious trouble”.

Experts have questioned if the yacht had been moored with its keel up, potentially compromising its stability, but Edwards said that under the boat’s operating rules, the keel was not required to be down while at anchor.

The keel is a fin-like stabilising structure under the hull, which can be lifted to reduce the depth of the boat in shallow waters or harbours. In the Bayesian, it could reduce the yacht’s below-water surface from around 10 to 4 metres.

[29 August 2024 22:41 · Andy Gregory]

Prosecutors investigating crew members ‘in a very general way’, lawyer says

The lawyer for two Bayesian crew members under investigation has said that, similarly to the ship’s captain, his clients were under investigation on charges of manslaughter and causing a shipwreck – which does not imply guilt and will not necessarily lead to charges.

Lawyer Marco Scopesi told the New York Times that his clients were under investigation “in a very general way”, adding: “The prosecution hasn’t focused on anything specifically.”

“We’re still at the beginning” of the investigation, he told the outlet.

[30 August 2024 00:34 · Andy Gregory]

Captain of nearby boat says he turned on engine to avoid collision with Bayesian in storm

The captain of a nearby boat has recalled that, when the winds surged, he had turned on the engine to keep control of his vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian, which had been anchored alongside him.

“We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Karsten Borner said.

The other boat “went flat on the water, and then down,” he added. He said his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

[30 August 2024 02:31 · Reuters]

Bayesian 'was one of the safest boats in the world’

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker. It featured the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres (236 feet).

Giovanni Costantino, chief executive of the Italian Sea Group – which owns Perini – said the yacht was “one of the safest boats in the world” and basically unsinkable.

(EPA/PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE)