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Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily, leaving U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 Americans among those missing

By Anna Matranga

Updated on: August 20, 2024 / 7:47 PM EDT / CBS News

Rome  — Six people, including two U.S. nationals, a British technology entrepreneur and one of his daughters, were still missing Tuesday after a large luxury sailing yacht sank off the coast of the southern Italian island of Sicily during a violent storm. The 184-foot Bayesian had been anchored about half a mile off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, with 22 people on board — 10 crew members and 12 passengers.

The vessel sank at about 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Eastern, Sunday) after being hit by a possible waterspout spawned by the storm. Italian media said the winds snapped the boat's single mast, unbalancing the vessel and causing it to capsize.

Fifteen of those on board managed to escape the yacht and were rescued by a Dutch-flagged vessel that was anchored in the immediate vicinity. They were brought ashore by Italian Coast Guard and firefighters.

One body — an unidentified male — was recovered, but six people remained missing, including British software magnate Mike Lynch, once described as Britain's Bill Gates. 

Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud charges in the U.S. that could have landed him with a decades-long prison sentence. In an unusual twist, Lynch's co-defendant in that fraud case, who was also acquitted, died Saturday after being hit by a car while out jogging in England.

Lynch's teenage daughter Hannah was also among those missing, along with Lynch's American lawyer Chris Morvillo, a former assistant district attorney in New York, and his wife Neda. British banker Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, was also still missing Tuesday.

Among the survivors was a 1-year-old British girl who was being treated at a nearby hospital along with her parents. They were doing well, according to Italian media.

"For two seconds I lost my child to the sea, then I immediately was able to grab her again in the fury of the waves," the girl's mother, identified only as Charlotte, was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency. "I held on to her tightly in the stormy sea. Many were screaming. Luckily the life raft opened up and 11 of us managed to get aboard."

"It was terrible," she told ANSA. "In just a few minutes the boat was hit by a very strong wind, and sunk soon thereafter."

Karsten Borner, the captain of the Dutch vessel that came to the rescue, told ANSA he had been anchored near the Bayesian.

"When the storm was over we noticed that the ship behind us was gone, and then we saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position and we found this life raft drifting, and in the life raft was also a little baby and the wife of the owner."

Recovery efforts were back underway Tuesday, with speedboats, helicopters and divers continuing to search for the missing — as well as for answers, as to how a state-of-the-art superyacht could disappear in a flash. 

According to Italian media, Fire Brigade divers reached the boat and saw bodies trapped inside some of the cabins, but they had been unable to recover any of the victims from inside the vessel by Tuesday, due to obstructions. The Bayesian appeared to have sunk in an area with a depth of about 160 feet.

Witnesses said the boat sank quickly. 

"I was at home when the tornado hit," fisherman Pietro Asciutto told a local news outlet. "I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I suddenly saw it sink... The boat was still floating, then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes."

The director-general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed to CBS News partner BBC News  that three of the six people still missing Monday were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, whose company Autonomy Corporation PLC was acquired in 2011 by HP ; one of his daughters, Hannah Lynch, who is believed to be 18; and the boat's chef, Ricardo Thomas.

CBS News has seen corporate documentation showing a company called Revtom, solely owned by Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who was among those rescued from the accident, as the owner of the yacht that capsized off Sicily. 

While the yacht was a privately owned pleasure boat, the waters around the island have claimed many lives over the last decade.

Dozens of migrants have died attempting to reach Sicily and smaller Italian islands in the region. Sicily sits only about 100 miles from the east coast of Tunisia in north Africa, and the Mediterranean crossing has been a frequent site of both nautical rescues and disasters as smugglers routinely send small boats overloaded with desperate people into the sea.

CBS News' Chris Livesay in Rome and Joanne Stocker in London contributed to this report.

Joanne Stocker and Alex Sundby contributed to this report.

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Superyacht sinks latest: Two bodies found in search for survivors

The bodies of two of the six people missing after a yacht sank off the Sicily coast have been found. Search efforts have entered a third day, after the captain was reportedly questioned by Italian prosecutors over the sinking.

Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:03, UK

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There has been no identification of the bodies found or confirmation of their gender, says  news correspondent Ashna Hurynag.

Eight divers from all over Italy have been working meticulously over the last two days to find them, she says.

In total there are between 20 and 50 emergency personnel involved, with "no expense spared in the resources trying to find and recover those people".

The divers have been sending back key information to a command centre on the harbourside, who are pouring over drawings and diagrams.

"There was a real sense of concern that those six missing people may have been trapped in those cabins," says Hurynag.

"We knew that there was a lot of furniture as the boat capsized and sunk beneath the water, and the fear was that that some of that furniture had been trapping those inside."

Back on dry land are 15 survivors of "what can only be described as an incredibly traumatic incident".

"For those people who've been on this luxury holiday, for it to all end in this way is truly, truly frightening."

Two bodies have been found in the search for survivors of the sunken Bayesian yacht.

The identities of the pair are not yet known.

The vessel sunk in the early hours of Monday morning off Palermo following a violent storm.

Several boats were seen leaving the port of Porticello and heading to the site of the sinking just before 3.30pm today.

They are the second and third victims of the shipwreck to be found. The body of the superyacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was discovered shortly after the vessel sank. 

It means there are still four people unaccounted for from the 22 that were on board at the time of the Bayesian's sinking.

According to Italian newspaper la Repubblica, the two bodies were found inside the boat behind two mattresses. 

Sky News has not independently verified the reports.

Many experts have expressed their surprise at the speed in which the Bayesian sunk, with eyewitnesses saying it had disappeared under the water within 60 seconds.

For that to happen, retired Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe told Sky News, one of three things must have occurred.

"There's either an underwater valve failure, you hit something and it tears a gash in you, or you managed to create conditions where water can come in over the side, in through scuttles and in through upper deck doors," he said.

"And I suspect, and again, I'm speculating, that that's what happened on this occasion. I also suspect that the ship wasn't battened down quite as it should have been for really bad weather. 

"At which point you can get waves breaking over the side and water inside the boat, which can change your stability very quickly and make it exponentially worse."

For the search and rescue teams looking for survivors, one of the biggest challenges facing them could be the motion of the Bayesian on the seabed.

"I suspect one of the things that's hampering them is there will still be a lot of motion," Mr Sharpe says.

"The boat will be moving on the seabed as the waves above it and the tide above it moves it around."

Naval architect and marine surveyor David Cannell believes the keel, the fin-like structure under the hull, could be key to why the yacht sank.

The Bayesian had a retractable keel - which helps stabilise boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast.

Experts have speculated whether the vessel was anchored with the keel up, reducing its depth under water from around 10m to 4m and making it less stable.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cannell says if the keel was lifted and the vessel had high wind on the mast, it's possible that it "exceeded her stability parameters" because "she had no counterbalancing".

 "Perhaps that's why she went over at near 90 degrees," he says.

The yacht's captain was questioned for more than two hours by prosecutors who have opened an investigation into the shipwreck, according to reports.

James Cutfield, 51,  who is from New Zealand, was quizzed until late yesterday evening to help reconstruct what happened and provide useful technical details, reports the Italian news agency ANSA.

His brother Mark earlier told the New Zealand Herald he was a "very good sailor" and "very well respected" in the Mediterranean. 

Magistrates are said to be also questioning the survivors inside the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, where they are staying. 

Divers who took part in rescue missions during the Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy have arrived in Porticello to aide the search for the six missing Bayesian tourists, reports Giornale Di Sicilia

Their expertise has been called upon to help open and inspect passenger cabins, where the tourists were thought to be trapped by furniture and other objects on board the yacht.

More than 4,000 passengers and crew were onboard the Costa Concordia when it struck rocks in January 2012, causing a 70-metre gash that allowed water to pour in.

The ship eventually capsized and came to rest on its side at a location known as Seagull Point, just outside the harbour on the island of Giglio, Italy.

Some 32 people died and 157 passengers suffered from post-traumatic stress.

The search for the six people still missing still feels like a rescue operation rather than a salvage operation, former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey tells Sky News.

He describes the "incredible pressure" at the site of the wreck, nearly 50m underwater, with the dark and cold further hampering the work of the divers.

"It's very risky," he says and believes the operation is moving into a different stage because the short spells by dive teams are not working.

Underwater drones have now been deployed (see post at 11.37am), which Mr Ramsey describes as "amazing pieces of technology".

He says while air pockets still provide hope that more survivors will be found the "build up of carbon dioxide that you're breathing out will eventually kill you". 

Images show boats carrying search and rescue crews returning to Porticello Harbour. 

Divers and underwater drones have been searching for the six missing people this morning. 

Meanwhile, a new picture of the Bayesian superyacht that sank on Monday has also emerged.

Another of the 15 survivors has been confirmed as Dutch national Tjis Koopmans.

Mr Koopmans, pictured in a white shirt leaving the coastguard headquarters on Monday, is thought to have been a member of the crew.

The yacht was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers when it capsized.

One crew member was confirmed dead: Chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan national.

Six passengers remain missing.

Divers have reached the area where the cabins are located, according to reports.

The spaces inside the ship are extremely narrow and difficult to manoeuvre within, Italian news outlet Corriere Della Sera said.

Objects floating in the water have made it "difficult to fully explore the cabins".

As such, there is no news as of yet on the missing tourists, who are thought to be inside the cabins, the media site reported.

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Scramble to find survivors after Bayesian yacht sinks off Sicily coast

A rescue operation is ongoing for 6 missing people, including british entrepreneur mike lynch. an american was also among the missing..

One person died and six people were missing after a luxury yacht sank Monday in Italy off the coast of Palermo, the capital of Sicily, after a sudden storm hit the area, according to Italy's coast guard.

The Bayesian, a 184-feet-long, British-registered sailboat, went down just before sunrise, capsizing its 22 passengers and killing one man, the ship's cook, t he coast guard said in a statement. On Monday, rescue teams identified the body as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

Of the 15 passengers rescued, eight were taken to a local hospital for treatment and were in stable condition, local news reported. A 1-year-old was among those rescued.

"We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Sicily and are in contact with the local authorities," the U.K Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY.

The people missing were American, British, and Canadian nationals.

What caused the Bayesian to sink?

The ship sank after unexpectedly strong storms recently dumped heavy rainfall, causing flooding and landslides, in parts of the country. Among those missing are British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and his daughter, a person familiar with the rescue operation told Reuters.

Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance who represented Lynch in a  U.S. trial , were among the missing. The wives of both men were also unaccounted for, said Salvatore Cocina, head of civil protection in Sicily.

"The fear is that the bodies got trapped inside the vessel," he told Reuters.

The yacht was owned by Lynch's family and had 22 people on board when it sank just before sunrise. The captain of a nearby ship told Reuters his crew rescued some survivors from a life raft, including three seriously injured.

"We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone," Karsten Borner said. The other boat "went flat on the water, and then down," he said.

"A little baby and the wife of the owner" were rescued, while the ship's owner and a child were missing, he said.

The boat was located 160 feet under the water and divers were deployed to inspect the wreck, according to the coast guard.

The search-and-rescue operation continued on Monday morning, a Reuters live feed showed . A helicopter and four coast guard ships were at the scene on Monday morning, according to the coast guard.

Bayesian had set sail off Amalfi Coast in July

Prosecutors in a nearby town have opened an investigation into the events leading up to the ship sinking.

The Bayesian set off for Palermo from Positano, a village on Italy's southern Amalfi Coast, on July 30, according to marinetraffic.com . It last docked in the town of Milazzo, in Messina, on Wednesday, according to VesselFinder.

The ship has the tallest aluminum mast in the world, according to Perini Navi , its manufacturer. It was built in 2008.

Contributing: Reuters

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Mike Lynch, one of the UK’s best-known tech entrepreneurs, is among those missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in bad weather.

Lynch, the former chief executive of Autonomy, was acquitted of criminal charges by a jury in San Francisco in June, vindicating the 59-year-old entrepreneur after a 12-year legal battle over the software group’s $11bn sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Among the passengers on Lynch’s 56-metre yacht Bayesian were members of his legal team and their families, who had been invited on the trip to celebrate the courtroom victory.

Jonathan Bloomer, chair of insurance group Hiscox and Morgan Stanley International, who appeared at the trial as a witness for the defence, was also on board and is one of those missing, according to local Italian authorities and people familiar with the matter.

Hiscox chief executive Aki Hussain said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened” by events. “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”

Christopher Morvillo of law firm Clifford Chance, who represented Lynch, is also missing. Six guests in total are missing and one member of the crew is confirmed dead.

Another Clifford Chance lawyer, Ayla Ronald, was among 15 of the 22 guests and crew who the authorities said were rescued from the stricken vessel.

Lynch ’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is also missing while his wife Angela Bacares was rescued.

Video description

The search operation near Palermo following the sinking of the yacht Bayesian

The yacht incident came on the same day as the death was confirmed of Lynch’s co-defendant in the US fraud case, Stephen Chamberlain, who was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire.

Gary Lincenberg, an attorney who represented Chamberlain in the case, said Autonomy’s former vice-president of finance, whom he described as a “courageous man with unparalleled integrity”, had been fatally struck by a car while out running on Saturday.

Following the courtroom verdict, Lynch had said he was “elated” and was “looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field”.

David Yelland, a communications adviser who worked with Lynch, said: “To think Mike Lynch might have lost his life just as he began to rebuild it is devastating for all those that know him. His entire life is one of beating the odds in the most extraordinary of situations, we must pray he does so again.” 

A spokesperson for Lynch declined to comment.

The Italian coast guard said Bayesian sank to a depth of approximately 50 metres off the coast of Palermo.

Giuseppe D’Agostino, mayor of Santa Flavia, a village on the coast close to where the vessel sank, said the search had not stopped. “The community is shaken. Everyone is helping,” he told the Financial Times.

“I spoke to some survivors. They are shocked. They didn’t have the strength to speak,” he added.

Another survivor was Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Lynch’s venture firm Invoke Capital, along with her husband James Emsilie and one-year-old daughter. She told Italian media that her family had left their cabin during the storm and headed for the deck.

Records indicate that Lynch’s family-owned the yacht. Bayesian is owned by Isle of Man-registered company Revtom Limited, according to shipping database Equasis. Isle of Man filings show that Bacares is the sole shareholder of Revtom.

The Sunday Times rich list estimated Lynch’s family fortune at £500mn earlier this year.

The name Bayesian is likely to be a reference to the 18th-century English statistician Thomas Bayes, whose theory of statistics informed the search technology behind Autonomy’s software.

The yacht had been anchored at the small Italian island of Panarea, according to MarineTraffic, a boat tracking site. It then passed through the Aeolian Islands on its way to Palermo before being hit by what has been described as a “tornado”.

Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire department, said divers and other rescue workers had been working at the scene since Monday morning.

“We arrived when the ship had already sunk,” he said, adding that the operation was complicated by the depth to which the boat had sunk. Cari said the body had been recovered outside the shipwreck. He declined to identify the victim.

The UK’s Department for Transport said the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch was deploying a team of four inspectors to Palermo to conduct a “preliminary assessment into the foundering”. The UK will lead the investigation because the vessel was flying the British flag.

Additional reporting by Michael Acton, Robert Wright, Robert Smith, Joshua Franklin, Jim Pickard and Ian Smith

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British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily

Lynch, his daughter, two other Britons and two Americans were missing after the 183-foot luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a “violent storm.” Fifteen people were rescued; one crew member was found dead.

Key takeaways

Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.

• Yacht sinks off Sicily coast
• One dead, six missing
• 15 rescued, eight hospitalized
• Violent storm blamed
• Search and rescue ongoing

A previous version of this article and its headline misstated the number of American citizens among the missing. There were only two, not four. The article and headline have been corrected.

ROME — One person was dead and six American and British nationals were missing Monday after a British-flagged yacht sank in a storm off the northern coast of Sicily, authorities said.

The missing included Mike Lynch , the British founder of the tech venture capital firm Invoke Capital and co-founder of the tech firms Autonomy and Darktrace, according to a person familiar with the situation. Rescuers were searching for Lynch, 59, and daughter Hannah, 18, as well as two people with British citizenship and two with American citizenship, authorities said.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among 15 people rescued, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation. The 183-foot luxury yacht, Bayesian, is owned by Revtom, a firm controlled by Bacares and registered on the Isle of Man, documents show.

A 1-year-old girl was among the survivors , after a near-brush with tragedy when she slipped from her mother’s grasp in the furious waves. She and her mother, Charlotte Golunski, were rescued, according to local media.

Responders recovered the body of the vessel’s chef, a man of undisclosed nationality, the only confirmed fatality in the disaster. The search-and-rescue operation includes four coast guard vessels with two helicopters and two dive teams on alternating shifts.

The yacht sank to a depth of more than 160 feet; it is believed that some passengers might have been trapped in their rooms. The first attempt by cave divers to search inside the sunken yacht was unsuccessful, local rescue authorities said , with limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing the passage.

The Bayesian was anchored about half a mile off the fishing village of Porticello when it sank about 5 a.m. Monday in what authorities called a “violent storm.” Some Italian media outlets described it as a whirlwind.

The Sir Robert, a Dutch-flagged sailing vessel anchored nearby, responded immediately to help survivors before the Italian coast guard arrived.

Rescued crew members told authorities that 22 people were on the Bayesian: 12 passengers and 10 crew members. Of the 15 people rescued, eight — including the 1-year-old girl — were taken to hospitals in conditions that were not life-threatening.

“We don’t as of yet have an official passenger list, so all of the available information currently comes from the skipper, who was still shaken, and may be confused,” said Luciano Pischedda, a spokesman for the harbor master in Palermo.

Lynch, the son of a firefighter from County Cork and a nurse from County Tipperary in Ireland, received a doctorate from Cambridge University and made his fortune in tech. Autonomy, a spinoff from his Cambridge Neurodynamics, founded in 1991, grew to become one of Britain’s 100 largest publicly traded companies.

He sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for more than $11 billion but was subsequently accused of overvaluing the company and was charged in the United States with fraud. After a lengthy legal battle, he was found not guilty on all charges.

In May, the Sunday Times estimated Lynch and Bacares’s combined wealth at $649 million. That was down from $1.08 billion in 2023.

The Italian wire agency ANSA reported that the storm might have broken the sailboat’s mast, causing the yacht to lose its balance.

Pietro Asciutto, a local fisherman, told ANSA he was at home when the storm hit. “I immediately shuttered all the windows, then noticed the boat,” he said. “It had only one mast, quite big.”

“It was floating, still, then suddenly vanished,” he said. “I saw it sink with my own eyes.”

Baker reported from Washington. Rachel Pannett in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.

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Who’s Missing From Sunken Yacht? Tech Mogul Mike Lynch and 5 Others.

Mr. Lynch, the former chief executive of the software firm Autonomy, who was acquitted on fraud charges in June, was with friends and family when the yacht went down in a severe storm.

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By Michael J. de la Merced

Michael de la Merced reported on Mike Lynch’s career and legal battles over the course of 13 years across two continents.

A cruise on the Mediterranean Sea aboard a superyacht was supposed to be a celebratory event for the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch , who was acquitted in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, it turned into a disaster after the yacht, a 180-foot boat called the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in a violent storm. Of the 22 passengers aboard, 15 were rescued, one body was recovered and six were still missing. Search operations at the site of the sunken yacht were continuing on Tuesday.

Here’s what we know about the passengers.

Mike Lynch and his family

Mr. Lynch, 59, is a British software entrepreneur who had once been described as his country’s Bill Gates. He founded the software firm Autonomy, which analyzed clients’ unorganized data, and turned it into one of the most prominent British technology companies of its time. He became a widely known corporate leader, who advised David Cameron, the British prime minister at the time, and joined the board of the BBC.

In 2011, Mr. Lynch sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion, which was far above its market value, earning him hundreds of millions. But HP investors almost immediately soured on the transaction, and the American tech giant quickly fired its chief executive — and then Mr. Lynch.

HP later accused Mr. Lynch of misleading it about the state of Autonomy’s business, setting off a decade-long legal ordeal for the British executive, who denied the accusations. U.S. prosecutors charged him and other executives with fraud, and Autonomy’s chief financial officer was convicted in 2018.

Despite appeals to the British government, Mr. Lynch was extradited to the United States last year and was confined to a townhouse in San Francisco ahead of his criminal trial, which began in March. Facing the possibility of decades in prison if convicted, Mr. Lynch and another colleague were instead acquitted of all charges.

Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, 57, accompanied him on the yacht, and she was rescued on Monday when it sank. She was a consistent presence at his trial in the United States. Records show that she controlled Revtom, the company listed as the owner of the Bayesian.

Hannah Lynch, Mr. Lynch and Ms. Bacares’s 18-year-old daughter, was also on the yacht and was among those who were still missing.

The other guests

Among those unaccounted for is Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chair of Morgan Stanley’s international arm and the chairman of Hiscox, an insurance provider that trades on the London Stock Exchange. His wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, is also listed as missing.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation,” Morgan Stanley said in a statement.

Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a New York-based partner at the international law firm Clifford Chance, is also among those missing. A former federal prosecutor who comes from a family of prominent lawyers, Mr. Morvillo represented Mr. Lynch during his criminal trial in San Francisco. His wife, Neda, 57, was with him on the yacht and is also among those confirmed as missing.

“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” a representative of Clifford Chance said in a statement.

Survivors include Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Mr. Lynch’s venture firm, Invoke Capital; Ms. Golunski’s husband, James Emslie; and their 1-year-old daughter Sophie. Also rescued were Ayla Ronald, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and her partner, Matthew Fletcher.

The yacht had a crew of 10. The body of the chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered from the water, the Sicilian Civil Protection Department said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting, and Kitty Bennett and Susan Campbell Beachy contributed research.

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

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Chilling footage shows superyacht slowly disappearing from view...

Breaking news, chilling footage shows bayesian superyacht slowly disappearing from view during raging storm.

Security camera footage from 650 feet from where the Bayesian superyacht sank Monday shows it slowly disappearing.

In the chilling video, the lights from the boat go out of view as the storm rages.

A witness told Giornale Di Sicilia that they rushed to watch the tape after learning about the ship.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily, leaving one dead and six missing:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing one passenger and leaving six others missing — including Michael Lynch, a tech tycoon known as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” officials said.
• Lynch had invited guests from the legal firm that represented him, Clifford Chance, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage,  according to the Telegraph . 
• Captain James Catfield, who piloted the 184-foot, British-flagged craft, was among the 15 crew members and passengers to survive after the tornado struck Monday before sunrise.
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the  Bayesian sank Monday  shows it slowly disappearing.
• Italian authorities have said the chances of the passengers surviving the disaster were very small, but “never say never.”

“Of about 20 cameras installed in the house, only one was not disturbed by the wind and rain. You can clearly see what is happening,” the witness said.

“There was nothing that could be done for the boat. It disappeared in a very short time.”

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Turkish shipyard Alia Yachts ’ flagship vessel, the 197-foot superyacht Samurai, has been hiding in plain sight. The yacht may have officially launched three years ago, but its international boat-show debut is just around the corner—all 1,050 GT of it.

Styled by Dutch studio Omega Architects , the low-rise exterior profile features bold vertical windows, an elegantly arched superstructure and long aft overhangs to give it a sporty, powerful appeal.

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The high-volume 1,050 GT interior is almost entirely housed inside the hull, which means oodles of guest and cabin space.

A luxurious and spacious beach club and gym with fold-down transom door and side platform occupy part of the lower deck, alongside a tender garage with room for two custom tenders of up to 23 feet.

Direct exterior access from the main deck to the beach club via a stairway on the aft deck heightens convenience.

The water-level beach club and terrace.  Photo: Jeff Brown

So, long lazy days lounging by the water’s edge accompanied by the odd shore excursion when curiosity piques are a must.

Water’s edge beach club.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Besides the engine room, the lower deck also contains quarters for 14 crew.

Owner’s suite with huge windows.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Interior design comes from the boards of British studio Redman Whiteley Dixon  (RWD), where natural materials and neutral tones go hand-in-hand to create a sophisticated and welcoming environment akin to airy and light loft-apartment living.

Owner’s suite.  Photo: Jeff Brown

The best views on board are reserved for the full-beam, forward-facing owner’s suite with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to sea.

Master suite sitting area.  Photo: Jeff Brown

A further four guest cabins on the main deck bring the total guest tally to 12.

Main-deck saloon.  Photo: Jeff Brown

The free-flow layout is carried through to the open-plan main saloon, and formal dining is provided for in the main-deck dining room—both also benefitting from full-height windows.

Main-deck dining area.  Photo: Jeff Brown

For warm summer evenings on board, however, guests can take dinner alfresco on the generous bridge-deck dining area.

Skylounge.  Photo: Jeff Brown

A panoramic skylounge leading out to the open foredeck makes this space hugely versatile, as does the fifth guest-suite option.

Foredeck.  Photo: Jeff Brown

“We’ve been sitting on the superyacht industry’s best-kept secret for the last three years,” says Alia president Gökhan Çelik. “In terms of overall design and construction quality, Samurai demonstrates what we’re capable of, and I’m delighted we finally have this opportunity to show her off to the yachting world.”

Samurai.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M73L engines, Samurai ‘s naval architecture includes a patented Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) by Dutch firm Van Oossanen, providing a top speed of 21 knots and a transatlantic range of 4,250 nm at economical speed.

Wheelhouse.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Aft-deck lounge.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Sundeck.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Sundeck’s forward hot tub.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Beach club.  Photo: Jeff Brown

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Superyacht SAMURAI now open for charter

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By Katia Damborsky   21 May 2019

The 60m/198ft motor yacht SAMURAI has entered the charter market and will be available for South of France luxury yacht charters this summer.

Delivered by Turkish yard Alia Yachts in 2017, SAMURAI is an enticing blend of sleek interiors and luxurious on-board facilities.

Those looking to experience a luxury yacht charter vacation in the West Mediterranean this summer should look to luxury yacht SAMURAI to play host.

With plenty of entertainment spaces, she is well-equipped for lively social occasions as well as relaxed family holidays with children.

The motor yacht ’s interiors have been headed up the highly esteemed Redman Whitely Dixon, and her living spaces have a refined energy balanced by contemporary touches; although many of her interior features have been upgraded since these pictures were taken.

Accommodation is provided for 12 guests in six cabins, which includes a main deck owner’s suite with a skylight and a convertible sixth cabin.

She enjoys a main deck salon adjoined by an elegant formal dining arrangement, with a second salon on the upper deck that is primed for unwinding at the end of a long day exploring the many beaches and islands of the Cote d'Azur.

One of the yacht’s most striking features is her beach club, which houses a glass-encased gym, a sumptuous seating area and a fold-out swim platform. There is an additional side boarding platform that makes it easy to launch SAMURAI’s selection of toys and tenders.

Crowning the yacht, guests will enjoy the yacht’s impressive sundeck. A large jacuzzi pool is located forward, while a bar and lounging area and sunpads can be found amidships. There are two additional exterior living spaces located on the aft decks below, as well as alfresco dining.

On a private yacht charter around the French Riviera , guests can expect to discover secluded beaches lapped by turquoise sea, with countless opportunities for snorkelling and getting up close to the Mediterranean’s vibrant underwater world.

Strewn along the coast, beautiful towns and ancient villages offer a slice of rich history and culture, as well as mouthwatering seafood restaurants and glitzy beach clubs. 

To learn more about chartering M/Y SAMURAI, please reach out to your preferred yacht charter broker .

Alternatively, compare all superyachts for charter in the Mediterranean .

More Yacht Information

60m Alia Yacht 2016 / 2019

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SAMURAI for charter

Delivered by Alia Yacht in 2016, SAMURAI is designed for a refined indoor/outdoor lifestyle, boasting large interior and impressive exterior spaces across multiple decks. Perfect for sunbathing, lounging and entertaining guests, the yacht comes with a plethora of amenities. With a beam of 11.44m, 37’6” and a draft of 3.4m, 11’2”, the yacht offers a stunning volume.

Specifications

• Name: SAMURAI
• Yacht Type: Motor Yacht
• Builder: Alia Yachts
• Naval Architect: Van Oossanen Naval Architects
• Exterior Designer: Omega Architects
• Interior Designer: Redman Whiteley
• Refits: 2019-01-01
• Length Overall: 60.3 metres
• Beam: 11.44 metres
• Max Draught: 3.4 metres
• Gross Tonnage: 1029

Construction

• Year of Build: 2016
• Hull Number: 321
• Hull Type: Fast Displacement
• Number of Decks: 3
• Classification: LR
• MCA Compliant: MCA Compliant:

Performance & Capacities

• Max Speed: 21 kn
• Cruising Speed: 15 kn
• Fuel Capacity: 130000 litres
• Water Capacity: 29000 litres
• Range: 4250 nm
• Total power: 7720 hp
• Hull: Steel
• Superstructure: Aluminium

Accommodation

• Passenger Rooms: 6
• Master Rooms: 1
• Double Rooms: 4
• VIP Rooms: 1

Cruising areas

• All year: Caribbean , Mediterranean

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This image is featured as part of the article 60m luxury super yacht SAMURAI Reviewed .

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "SAMURAI superyacht".

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