Mike Lynch's yacht doomed by extreme wind, report finds
The 56-metre-long Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August 2024 when it was likely hit by a very strong downward wind, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others, Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch says.
The investigation established that, when the yacht's retractable keel was in the raised position, wind speeds in excess of 117km/h on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over.
It said it was possible the yacht was similarly vulnerable to winds of lower speed.
These vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board and were consequently unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.
"The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over," said Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees the situation was irrecoverable."
The report says a sudden increase in the wind speed caused the yacht to keel over to 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Water came in over the starboard rails and within seconds entered the vessel down the stairwells, it says.
About 18 minutes later the yacht sunk in the 50 metre-deep sea.
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker.
It featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said in August the yacht was "one of the safest boats in the world" and basically unsinkable.
The company did not provide an immediate comment on the UK report.
The superyacht that sank off Sicily, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, was probably knocked over by winds of more than 117km/h, an interim UK report says.
The 56-metre-long Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August 2024 when it was likely hit by a very strong downward wind, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others, Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch says.
The investigation established that, when the yacht's retractable keel was in the raised position, wind speeds in excess of 117km/h on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over.
It said it was possible the yacht was similarly vulnerable to winds of lower speed.
These vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board and were consequently unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.
"The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over," said Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees the situation was irrecoverable."
The report says a sudden increase in the wind speed caused the yacht to keel over to 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Water came in over the starboard rails and within seconds entered the vessel down the stairwells, it says.
About 18 minutes later the yacht sunk in the 50 metre-deep sea.
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker.
It featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said in August the yacht was "one of the safest boats in the world" and basically unsinkable.
The company did not provide an immediate comment on the UK report.
The superyacht that sank off Sicily, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, was probably knocked over by winds of more than 117km/h, an interim UK report says.
The 56-metre-long Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August 2024 when it was likely hit by a very strong downward wind, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others, Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch says.
The investigation established that, when the yacht's retractable keel was in the raised position, wind speeds in excess of 117km/h on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over.
It said it was possible the yacht was similarly vulnerable to winds of lower speed.
These vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board and were consequently unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.
"The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over," said Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees the situation was irrecoverable."
The report says a sudden increase in the wind speed caused the yacht to keel over to 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Water came in over the starboard rails and within seconds entered the vessel down the stairwells, it says.
About 18 minutes later the yacht sunk in the 50 metre-deep sea.
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker.
It featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said in August the yacht was "one of the safest boats in the world" and basically unsinkable.
The company did not provide an immediate comment on the UK report.
The superyacht that sank off Sicily, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, was probably knocked over by winds of more than 117km/h, an interim UK report says.
The 56-metre-long Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August 2024 when it was likely hit by a very strong downward wind, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others, Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch says.
The investigation established that, when the yacht's retractable keel was in the raised position, wind speeds in excess of 117km/h on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over.
It said it was possible the yacht was similarly vulnerable to winds of lower speed.
These vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board and were consequently unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.
"The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over," said Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees the situation was irrecoverable."
The report says a sudden increase in the wind speed caused the yacht to keel over to 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Water came in over the starboard rails and within seconds entered the vessel down the stairwells, it says.
About 18 minutes later the yacht sunk in the 50 metre-deep sea.
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker.
It featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said in August the yacht was "one of the safest boats in the world" and basically unsinkable.
The company did not provide an immediate comment on the UK report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
ADX clinches Sicily gas permit in European energy hotspot
ASX-listed ADX Energy has finally put its foot on one of Europe's most tantalising offshore gas plays after formally receiving 100 per cent of a high-impact exploration permit covering 346 square kilometres off the western tip of Sicily in Italy. Fresh from a big in-country oil and gas exploration policy change, Italy's Environment and Energy Security Ministry has given ADX the green light for gas-only exploration after putting the company's finances, technical skills and organisational muscle through a thorough health check. ADX says the potential prize waiting for it on the back of a successful exploration program is a juicy 369 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas from five prime prospects. Historic 2D seismic has hinted at stacked reservoirs with top-notch, 30 per cent porosity at some of the targets and points to the potential of a juicy low-risk, high reward exploration play of cheap drilling coupled with the chance of outsized returns. The lease sits in shallow waters less than 100 metres deep, just 30 kilometres off Sicily's shoreline and comes with potential access to the Transmed pipeline, which runs directly past the permit from North Africa to its point of entry at Mazara del Vallo in western Sicily. The company's new grounds cover a patch of the Sicily Channel that has been largely overlooked for gas despite historic oil exploration and drilling. The geology is almost a carbon copy of nearby producing fields, such as Italian energy heavyweight ENI's Argo-Cassiopea offshore and Lippone-Mazara onshore discoveries, where similar stacked gas sands have delivered hefty resources from compact structural traps. If ADX's prospects end up mirroring those at Argo-Cassiopea - which holds almost 360Bcf of stacked gas across two fields in the same Miocene-Pliocene sands - the company says each of its wells could potentially pump out 20–30 million cubic feet of gas a day and notch up about 50Bcf each. Adding to the buzz, past exploration work has already lit the path. Old seismic and well logs, including those from the Nilde-2 well within the lease, strongly point to 99 per cent biogenic methane, a sweet gas requiring minimal processing. This gas appears trapped in Miocene sandstones between 700 and 2000 metres below surface. ADX lodged its bid for the Sicily Channel permit in January, hot on the heels of Italy's long-awaited policy shift that ended a freeze on new exploration licences. The freeze dated back to 2019, when Rome pulled the plug on all hydrocarbon exploration in a bid to cut carbon emissions. But Europe's scramble for alternatives to Russian gas after its Ukraine invasion flipped the script. With demand surging, Italy's new centre-right, pro-gas government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni moved quickly to revive domestic exploration, eyeing home-grown clean gas to shore up energy security. For ADX, the numbers stack up nicely. Robust European gas prices – currently around €34 (A$61) per megawatt – coupled with favourable tax terms of a 10 per cent royalty and 28 per cent corporate tax make the economics of the Sicily Channel permit hard to ignore. Moving forward, a treasure trove of old wells and 2D seismic, previously aimed at deeper oil, has given ADX a head start in sizing up its new permit. The company says it's now ready to hit the ground running by reworking seismic, picking up well logs and fast-tracking fresh 3D surveys, aiming to mature its prospects and secure an independent expert's tick to highlight the permit's full gas potential. All up, ADX's Sicily Channel prize looks like the real deal - shallow waters, stacked sands, premium pricing and a government that's suddenly rolling out the welcome mat for gas. With the groundwork already mapped and the drills not far off, the company now has a golden chance to turn an overlooked corner of the Mediterranean into a serious gas play – and the punters are likely to be watching every move. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sally Rooney vows to use BBC royalties to fund Palestine Action
Sally Rooney has vowed to use money from the BBC to fund the proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action. The novelist said the police should investigate the corporations and the high-street stores that stock and promote her work if they believe she is committing an act of terrorism. Membership and support of Palestine Action, including funding, can carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison after the group was banned by the British government in July. The Normal People author made the comments in the Irish Times, noting that it would be illegal for her to publish them in a British newspaper. She said she felt compelled to publicly express her support after 'more than 500 peaceful protesters' were arrested for doing the same in a single day on August 9. Loading 'If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it,' she wrote. 'My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops and even supermarkets. 'In recent years, the UK's state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels, and therefore regularly pays me residual fees. 'I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Sally Rooney vows to use BBC royalties to fund Palestine Action
Sally Rooney has vowed to use money from the BBC to fund the proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action. The novelist said the police should investigate the corporations and the high-street stores that stock and promote her work if they believe she is committing an act of terrorism. Membership and support of Palestine Action, including funding, can carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison after the group was banned by the British government in July. The Normal People author made the comments in the Irish Times, noting that it would be illegal for her to publish them in a British newspaper. She said she felt compelled to publicly express her support after 'more than 500 peaceful protesters' were arrested for doing the same in a single day on August 9. Loading 'If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it,' she wrote. 'My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops and even supermarkets. 'In recent years, the UK's state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels, and therefore regularly pays me residual fees. 'I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can.
