Following the tragic sinking of S/Y BAYESIAN on Monday 19 August, more details of the urgent search and rescue mission have been released.
Featured Image Credit: Vigili del Fuoco
What We Know:
- S/Y BAYESIAN (184ft/56m) was caught in a sudden and unexpected storm while anchored outside the port of Porticello in Italy. The vessel’s mast broke before the boat sank in 50 meters of water at approximately 5am on Monday 19 August.
- The crew of nearby sailing vessel, Sir Robert BP (46m), acted as first responders to the scene after seeing an emergency flare. The captain and mate found surviving guests in a life raft and brought 15 people onboard their boat to await Coast Guard rescue.
- Multiple guests sustained injuries, and one child was airlifted to a hospital.
- S/Y BAYESIAN had 22 people on board at the time of the incident, said to consist of 10 crew and 12 guests. At the time of YATCO’s first article, 1 death was reported with 6 souls still missing.
- S/Y BAYESIAN, a Perini Navi sailing yacht, was owned by British tech billionaire Mike Lynch. Mr. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, were reported missing while his wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 rescued.
- Search and rescue efforts were underway with divers on the scene of the wreckage. Helicopters were deployed to search the area.
- The first body recovered from the scene on Monday 19 August was Recaldo “Rick” Thomas, the chef onboard S/Y BAYESIAN.
- Thus far, 5 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage while the search for the sixth missing person continues.
Watch the Bayesian yacht disaster: how it unfolded video on YouTube.
Updated Information:
Karsten Borner, captain of the first-responding vessel Sir Robert BP, said in an interview with BBC, “We managed to keep the ship in position, and after the storm was over, we realized that the boat next to ours was no longer there. We saw a red signal flare coming from the area of the boat, so my first officer and I climbed into the tender and went to provide assistance.”
Captain Borner and his mate successfully rescued 15 guests, some of whose names have now been released: Angela Bacaras, James Cutfield, James Emsley, Leo Eppol, Charlotte Golunsk and one-year-old daughter Sofia, Leah Randall, Ayla Ronald, and Matthew (last name unknown at this time).
Captain of BAYESIAN, James Cutfield, was taken to the hospital along with 5 others following their rescue. While in the emergency department, he spoke with Italian newspaper La Repubblica stating, “We didn’t see [the storm] coming.” Previously described as a “freak storm,” experts suspect that sea temperatures approximately 39 degrees warmer than the past 20-year average may have been a factor in the sudden onset of the storm and increased the probability of waterspouts.
Today, Wednesday 21 August, local news outlets have reported rescue teams broke through windows of S/Y BAYESIAN, allowing divers to enter the sunken vessel. A local blacksmith reportedly created jacks that were used to break the 3cm (about 1.18 in) glass. It is said that divers were previously unable to enter the sunken vessel due to obstructions of the egresses on deck. However, the Italian fire brigade has stated their divers entered the vessel through “natural entrances.” Due to the pressure of the wreck’s 50m depth and the vessel’s resting position on its starboard side, divers could only spend a maximum of 10-12 minutes underwater at a time. News reports state that the divers are also utilizing an underwater drone to assist in searching the vessel.
Watch the CCTV shows moment Bayesian yacht hit by storm video on YouTube.
The names of the six missing souls were released: Mike Lynch, Hannah Lynch, Chris Morvillo, Neda Morvillo, Judy Bloomer, Jonathan Bloomer. It is now being reported that 5 bodies have been recovered, although the deceased’s identities have not been reported. The sixth missing person is still unaccounted for as rescue efforts ceased for the day. The search will continue tomorrow, Thursday 22 August.
Angela Bacaras, wife of yacht owner Mike Lynch, spoke to Italian newspaper La Republica and recounted her escape from BAYESIAN. Saying she was awoken by the yacht’s sudden heel (sideways tilt) at approximately 4am, Bacaras got out of bed to seek reason for the boat’s unusual movement and was unaware of impending doom until glass began to break around her. She escaped from the sinking vessel and sustained lacerations on her feet, likely caused by the shattered glass on the stateroom floor.
YATCO will continue to report on this event as information is made available. For additional information, please read YATCO’s original article and latest follow-up report.
