The Perini Navi sailing yacht Bayesian capsized and sank off the coast of Palermo after a powerful storm hit the Italian island of Sicily in the early hours of Monday, August 19.
According to local media, the 183-foot (56-meter) superyacht sank around 4:00 a.m. near Porticello, a town in the province of Palermo. The vessel was anchored 300 meters from the port of Porticello when it was hit by a devastating tornado-like storm and disappeared beneath the waves.
The luxury yacht was carrying 22 people (twelve passengers and ten crew), mostly British citizens, when the accident occurred. The Italian coastguard says 15 people were rescued by coastguard patrol boats and firefighters, but one man died and six are still missing. A search and rescue operation is currently underway, with divers and coastguard teams combing the wreck and surrounding waters for the remaining missing individuals.
The identities of those still unaccounted for have not been made public, but sources close to the rescue operation say British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among the missing. Once dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates,” the 59-year-old is best known for founding the country’s largest software company, Autonomy Corporation. The company became one of the most well-known in the UK tech scene in the mid-1990s. He also co-founded Invoke Capital and cybersecurity firm Darktrace. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was also aboard Bayesian and has been confirmed among the survivors.
Photo: Firefighters
Those aboard the superyacht were mainly foreign tourists on holiday in Sicily. The rescued passengers and crew members have been transferred to local hospitals and are said to be in stable condition.
The Bayesian yacht apparently left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Wednesday, August 14. According to AIS data, the yacht last transmitted its position east of Palermo around 4:00 a.m. local time.
The circumstances of the tragedy are still under investigation, but it is said that the hull sank at a depth of about fifty meters and that the tragedy could have been caused by a combination of adverse weather conditions and possible human error. Some eyewitness accounts even suggest that the ship may have been dismasted.
“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was forecast, but not on this scale,” a coast guard official told local media.
Photo: Perini Navi/Danny Wheelz
The Bayesian superyacht was built in Italy by Perini Navi and launched in 2008 under the name “Salute”. The yacht was last refitted in 2020 and was sailing under the British flag, managed by Camper and Nicholsons International.
Designed in collaboration with Ron Holland Design, she had a 75-meter mast, the largest aluminum mast of any sailing yacht in the water, which made her stand out in the yachting world and won her several awards. The vessel can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, plus a crew of 10, and boasts interior design by Rémi Tessier.
#Palermoshipwreck of a vessel in Porticello: recovered by #divers of the #firefighters the lifeless body of a man, outside the wreck. The search operations continue with the coordination at sea of the @coastguard [#19agosto 11:30] photo.twitter.com/Y2m9o5ohCe
— Firefighters (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024