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Mike Lynch’s luxury superyacht, The Bayesian, met a tragic end on August 19, off the port of Porticello, Palermo.

 Lynch, a renowned British tech tycoon founded the software giant Autonomy in 1996. The billionaire and six other victims lost their lives.

According to all accounts the Bayesian was anchored peacefully in the port, with its sails down, when disaster struck.

 A nearby yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was also moored in the same area when a sudden sea “whirlwind” hit. 

Despite the boat's proximity, only The Bayesian was severely impacted. It was ultimately discovered lying on its side 50 meters (164 feet) beneath the Mediterranean waters.

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Seven Victims

The victims were Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, The Bayesian's chef Recaldo Thomas, and Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch.

The tragedy has left the tech world and many others in mourning as authorities strive to uncover the cause of this devastating event.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the public prosecutor of nearby Termini Imerese, announced that an investigation is underway.

The key question investigators are grappling with is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, could have sunk while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Investigation Continues

The ongoing investigation is deploying remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers to raise The Bayesian from the seabed, where it will undergo a thorough examination in the coming days.

This process is critical as experts work to determine whether human error, an unpredictable weather event, or other factors were to blame for the sinking of the luxury yacht.

Cartosio and his team have indicated that it could take weeks to establish the exact cause of the disaster. 

They plan to interview all the survivors which includes the 10-man crew.

A key focus of the investigation is whether the yacht’s crew failed to close access hatches before the tornado struck. 

Some yachting experts have suggested that if these hatches were open, The Bayesian could have taken on water rapidly, leading to its swift sinking.

However, Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan, noted that a yacht of The Bayesian's size would need to take in a massive amount of water to sink so quickly. This suggests that other factors may have contributed to the tragedy.

Bad Weather Tragedy

The yacht’s captain, James Catfield, from New Zealand, recounted the suddenness of the waterspout that turned a luxurious superyacht into a deadly trap. “We just didn’t see it coming,” Catfield told Italian media.

Colonel Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, confirmed that the agency had recorded intense lightning activity and strong gusts of wind in the area during the time of the incident. 

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, expressed that the crew should have ensured all guests were awake and provided with lifejackets, given the forecast of heavy rains. 

The coast guard supported this sentiment, stating that while bad weather had been predicted, the storm’s intensity far exceeded expectations. Local reports described the event as a waterspout, or sea whirlwind, of exceptional force.

Meanwhile, the 42-meter Sir Robert Baden Powell remained anchored nearby successfully weathered the storm. Its captain, Karsten Borner, turned on the engine to maintain control and avoid a collision with The Bayesian. 

Borner commented that he was unsure whether the crew of The Bayesian had managed to activate their engines. “I don’t think they did things wrong; I think they were surprised by the power of the storm,” Borner said. 

He described the storm as “very violent, very intense,” adding that it brought in “a lot of water and I think a turning system like a tornado.”

The Bayesian Mast

The Bayesian was a marvel of nautical engineering, built in 2008 and boasting a 75-meter (246-foot) mast, which is claimed to be the tallest aluminum mast in the world.

 While the mast symbol of the yacht’s grandeur, it may have also contributed to its demise.

Captain Borner speculated that if the mast had broken, the yacht might not have capsized. 

“Having a tall aluminum mast would not make it the safest port to be in case of a storm,” noted Andrea Ratti. The intensity of the storm could have created a significant shock wave which further destabilized the vessel and led to its rapid sinking.