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
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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.
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Asylum rescue charities hit out at ‘double standard’ in media and official resources
Charities dedicated to rescuing asylum-seekers in the Mediterranean have hit out at the “double standard” highlighted by the media coverage and resources given to the Bayesian search effort.
“For us, every death in the Mediterranean is one too many, no matter where they come from or how much money they make,” the organisation Sea-Eye, who recently rescued 262 people in the Mediterranean, said in a statement to The Guardian.
They added: “Sadly, it makes a difference in the media, in our society and in politics, who is drowning. We have noticed that the coverage of the situation in the Mediterranean, of tragedies or of our rescues in recent months has not been nearly as extensive as in the case of the Sicilian shipwreck in recent days.”
Days after the Bayesian sank, distress calls relating to a dinghy carrying 43 people in the Mediterranean were ignored and the vessel was left in peril for more than 24 hours until the charity Sea-Watch got there “just in time” to rescue those onboard and in the surrounding waters, the organisation alleged.
“For the Italian and European authorities, there are Shipwrecks and then there are shipwrecks, one capitalised and the other lowercase, one immediately rescued and the other abandoned to its fate,” Sea-Watch said, adding: “There was no rescue effort by the authorities. That’s no coincidence; it’s the EU’s double standard.”
Diver who led search recalls ‘unbearable’ tension in search for Hannah
A diver who led the search for Mike Lynch and his guests onboard the yacht Bayesian said that his 18-year-old daughter Hannah was the hardest to find, as he recalled the “unbearable” tension facing his team.
“The yacht was on its right hand side. All of the cabins had been invaded with floating debris, mattresses, sheets, wardrobes,” he told MailOnline.
“It was due to this large amount of floating debris that the operation progressed with difficulty.
“The cabins were dark and there was barely any visibility, so as a result the environment was hostile and the situation was getting more difficult.
“She [Hannah] was the furthest away, we are talking about a situation where to advance just a metre took four or five dives.
“It was such a relief to have found her after almost five days. The tension had been unbearable until then.”
Bayesian’s huge mast may have contributed to its demise
Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in Italy, a sailing expert has said.
Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, believes the vessel’s huge mast – the tallest in the world, at 72 metres – is also likely to have contributed to the deadly event.
Mr Jefferson told the PA news agency: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.
“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.
“The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge. It acted almost like a sail. [It] pushed the boat hard over on its side.
“[The boat] filled with water before it could right. This is all speculation, but that’s the only logical explanation.”
No tornado alert in place at the time of sinking
Maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said there was nothing to suggest such an extreme situation would arise.
He told a press conference that there was no tornado alert in place at the time.
Mr Cammarano added that the yacht had been hit by a downburst, which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.
Officials said they would be looking at how it could so badly affect the Bayesian, and not other nearby vessels.
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British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning
The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and had been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.
He was on the boat, named Bayesian, which sank in bad weather in the early hours of Monday near the Sicilian capital Palermo.
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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.
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Last week’s sinking of the 56-metre yacht Bayesian and the tragic deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his guests and boat staff have given the public a glimpse into the rarefied world of superyachts.
From the sheer size of the mast (74 metres, roughly the size of seven two-storey houses stacked on top of each other) to the expense (Bayesian was put up for sale in 2014 with an asking price of $30m, which is around £23m), to the sheer luxury (the interiors were by Remi Tessier, the designer behind Claridge’s new penthouse), it’s a world few people normally get to see.
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A court-appointed armed guard, tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not abscond while facing fraud charges, has paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.
Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18.
Mr Igno said he had the “privilege” of spending “almost every waking moment” with Mr Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco, describing the detail as unlike any other he had ever worked and one that was “life changing”.
“As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, don’t ever get close to the principal,” he said.
“They aren’t your friends, they’re a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didn’t fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.”
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