Extreme Winds Led To The Capsizing Of Superyacht Bayesian Within 15 Seconds & Killing 7

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released an interim report revealing that sudden, extremely strong winds caused the 56-meter sailing superyacht Bayesian to capsize near Sicily, leading to the deaths of seven people.

Among the victims were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter.

The accident happened in the early hours of August 19, 2024. The Bayesian was anchored about half a nautical mile southeast of Porticello, Italy, carrying 12 guests and 10 crew members at the time.

According to MAIB’s findings, the yacht encountered intense wind gusts exceeding 64 knots (118 km/h). These powerful winds pushed the yacht to lean 90 degrees to the starboard side within just 15 seconds.

This sudden tilt caused the yacht’s systems to fail and led to severe flooding. The report explains that once the yacht leaned more than 70 degrees, it was impossible to right it again.

The investigation pointed out that certain design weaknesses contributed to the disaster. The yacht’s stability manual did not include warnings about the risks when operating under specific conditions, such as motoring with sails down, having the centreboard raised, and being in a “loaded arrival” state.

Neither the owner nor the crew knew about these vulnerabilities. Another major factor was the yacht’s 72-meter aluminium mast, the tallest in the world, which increased the force of the capsize.

Before the incident, weather warnings had been issued for the area, forecasting strong thunderstorms and high winds. Around 3:00 AM local time, winds were moderate at about 8 knots. But less than an hour later, the winds suddenly increased beyond 70 knots, as confirmed by recorded data.

Despite the crew’s emergency efforts, which included activating distress signals and launching liferafts, seven people lost their lives, involving six guests and one crew member. Survivors were rescued by a tender from a nearby yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which responded promptly after seeing distress flares.

Those who died included Lynch’s daughter Hannah, banking executive Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, U.S. attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas. Mike Lynch had recently been acquitted in a high-profile U.S. fraud trial and was celebrating the verdict.

The report also mentioned that the yacht’s builder, Perini Navi, had considered the vessel “unsinkable.” However, the company has not made any public comments regarding the report’s findings.

Salvage operations to recover the wreck are ongoing but were temporarily stopped after a diver died during early salvage work. The yacht remains underwater in about 50 meters of depth.

Further investigations are underway by both British and Italian authorities. The MAIB expects that its conclusions may change or develop as more information from the wreck and investigations becomes available.

For the full report, click https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821ea1aced319d02c9060f2/2025-Bayesian-InterimReport.pdf

Reference: MAIB

Source: Maritime Shipping News