Investigators probing the sinking of the Bayesian have detailed the final moments of tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s doomed superyacht.
The billionaire entrepreneur, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people killed when the vessel sank off the Sicilian coast on August 19, 2024.
An interim report into the sinking, released by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) on Thursday, shows wind speeds of 63.4 knots (73.0mph) on the yacht’s beam were sufficient to tip it over.
The vessel may have been “vulnerable” to lighter winds, but that information was “unknown” to its owner and crew as it was not included in the stability information book carried on board, the report said.
MAIB investigator Simon Graves said the sails were not raised and the vessel was “running on its engine” before the sinking.
“That indicated a vulnerability that the owner and the crew would not have known about,” he said.
At 4.06am local time, wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (80.6mph), “violently” knocking the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds, investigators said.
“People, furniture and loose items fell across the deck.”
The report went on: “There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells.”
Andrew Moll, chief inspector of marine accidents, said the findings indicated that the “extreme wind” was sufficient to knock the yacht over.
“Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70° the situation was irrecoverable.”
The MAIB is investigating as the Bayesian was registered in the United Kingdom.
No date has been set for when the final report will be published.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
