Tributes paid to ‘incredibly talented’ chef who died on sunken superyacht in Sicily

Bayesian was moored around half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Tributes to Recaldo Thomas show him as a ‘one of a kind special human being’ (Facebook)

Tributes have been paid to a chef whose body was recovered after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, as rescuers fear six people are still trapped inside the wreck.

Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, 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.”

She added: “He will be smiling and laughing.”

Among those unaccounted for are technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Four bodies were found on the shipwreck on Wednesday but are yet to be identified.

Italian emergency services pictured heading to the scene (PA Wire)

The body of Mr Thomas was recovered on Monday.

His friend Gareth Williams told the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.”

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was “friends with everybody”, “always positive” and “sought after” in his profession.

Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, 15 – including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

More of the yacht’s rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to the 11 billion US dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

The location of Sicily where Bayesian sank (PA Graphics)

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said the bank was “shocked and saddened” while Clifford Chance said it was a “tragic incident”.

The former school of Mr Lynch’s daughter has said its “thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.”

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said: “We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.”

Ed Llewellyn, British ambassador to Italy, met some of the survivors of the sinking at a hotel.

Banker Jonathan Bloomer (PA Media)

Ayla Ronald, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal.

Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph that she had been invited aboard as a thanks for assistance in Mr Lynch’s recent court case.

Another survivor, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofia’s father, James Emsley.

Stephen Chamberlain (Cambridgeshire Police/PA) (PA Media)

In a separate incident, Mr Lynch’s co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

In a statement released through Cambridgeshire Police, Mr Chamberlain’s family said: “Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

“He was an amazing individual, whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.”