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

[30 August 2024 15:54 · Jabed Ahmed]

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 vessel sank off the coast of Sicily.

James Cutfield left the Sicilian capital on a private jet, an investigative source told Reuters, adding the destination of the flight was unknown.

Mr Cutfield, a New Zealander, lives with his wife in Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Mr 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.

[30 August 2024 17:00 · Jabed Ahmed]

Who is being investigated?

Three people are being investigated by the Italian authorities for manslaughter after the sinking of the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily.

On Monday, the boats 51-year-old captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, was put under investigation. He declined to respond to prosecutors during questioning on Tuesday

Two British crew members are now also being investigated. Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are being investigated over the same crimes.

A source told Reuters that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems.

Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

[30 August 2024 18:00 · Jabed Ahmed]

Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says

Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says

The captain of the Bayesian yacht chose not to respond to prosecutors’ questions as he was spoken to for a third time on Tuesday, his lawyer has said.

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

“The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons,” lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters. “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defence case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”

Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt or mean that charges will necessarily follow. Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio 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.

The Times reported one of Mr Cutfield’s lawyers as saying that the captain is “understandably very shaken up” after the ordeal last Monday.

Captain James Cutfield of the Bayesian (Facebook)

[30 August 2024 19:02 · Jabed Ahmed]

Watch: Moment Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm

[30 August 2024 20:05 · Jabed Ahmed]

Why was Mike Lynch’s yacht named the Bayesian?

Autonomy, the software firm which Mike Lynch sold in a £8.64bn deal in 2011, was a pioneer of business data analysis, using machine learning and what Mr Lynch called “adaptive pattern recognition”.

It used a statistical method called “Bayesian inference” at the heart of its software, devised by the 18th-century mathematician Thomas Bayes.

The yacht’s name, Bayesian, harks to the same model that was at the heart of Autonomy’s – and Mr Lynch’s – success.

[30 August 2024 21:02 · Jabed Ahmed]

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

[30 August 2024 22:00 · Jabed Ahmed]

Timeline of the Bayesian luxury yacht disaster: Monday 19 August - Wednesday 21 August

Monday 19 August

• The Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, sinks at around 5am local time when the area was hit by a tornado.
• Fifteen people are rescued from the 55m (180ft) vessel – including a mother and baby – but another seven remain missing.
• A body, believed to be that of a chef on the boat, is later found near the wreckage

Tuesday 20 August

• The search continues for the six tourists missing.
• It is reported that among those missing are Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
• Police divers try to reach the hull of the ship, resting at a depth of 50 metres.
• Italy’s fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco say early inspections of the wreck were “unsuccessful” because of limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages.
• It is confirmed that the body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the yacht.

Wednesday 21 August

• The search for the six people unaccounted for enters a third day, with crews carrying out inspections of the yacht’s internal hull.
• A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrive in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.
• A helicopter is drafted in to help with the search effort and remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.
• Five bodies are found inside the yacht on Wednesday afternoon. Only four of them are brought to shore.

[30 August 2024 23:00 · Jabed Ahmed]

Italian prosecutors widen probe into superyacht that sank off Sicily to 2 more crew members

[30 August 2024 23:58 · Jabed Ahmed]

Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money

[31 August 2024 01:00 · Jabed Ahmed]

Friend pays tribute to Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas

Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.

The Canadian-Antiguan national was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat. A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.

She told The Independent: “He was a one-of-a-kind special human being. Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job.”