MEZIESBLOG

Everything we know so far

It’s been a busy day of developments after the sinking of a luxury yacht hit by a tornado off Sicily in the early hours.

It was confirmed this morning that one person had died, six people were missing and 15 had been rescued.

Then early this afternoon, we learnt that the yacht was owned by the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his wife, Angela Bacares. 

Mr Lynch, 59, was confirmed as missing, while his wife, 57, is among the survivors.

Here we answer key questions about the disaster, including what might have caused the sinking and what else we know about the people onboard:

Lynch told journalist ‘I’m going on a very long holiday’ after acquittal

Mike Lynch told a journalist who interviewed him only last month that he was “about to go on a very long holiday” having spent more than a year under house arrest in the US.

Danny Fortson, West Coast correspondent for The Sunday Times, told Sky News that Mr Lynch was ready to take a “big deep breath” and relax with his family after being acquitted in a high-profile US fraud case in June.

Mr Fortson said the case had “hung over his head for a decade” as Mr Lynch believed there was only 1% chance he would be found not guilty of crimes for which he could’ve been jailed for 25 years.

After being cleared, the journalist said Mr Lynch kept saying: “This is like I have a second life, I have a new lease on life, I’ve won my freedom, now I need to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.”

Barely a month later, Mr Forston said, “it’s kind of hard to believe” Mr Lynch is now missing.

What we know about the superyacht

Bayesian is on the seabed at a depth of around 49m after it sank – with specialist divers now inspecting the wreck.

Here’s what we know about the boat:

Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020. 

Its 75-metre mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Perini says on its website.

Shipspotting.com says it was owned by a firm called Revtom Limited.  Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents. 

The yacht’s name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on a statistical method known as Bayesian inference, based on an 18th century theory, that helps forecasters predict outcomes more reliably.

The ship won a string of awards for its design and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to specialist yacht websites. 

They say it was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag and features a minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents.

The price to charter the yacht is not stated, but similar vessels are listed around £170,500 a week.

Key statistics

Length: 56m

Beam (max width): 11.51m

Max speed: 15 knots (17.2 mph)

Cruise speed: 12 knots (13.8 mph)

Gross tonnage: 473

Engines: Twin diesel MTU 2000 M72

Cabins: 6 (1 master, 3 doubles and 2 twins)

Crew: Can accommodate up to 10

Range: Up to 3,600 nautical miles from 57,000 litre fuel tanks

Stats compiled from Charterworld and YachtCharterFleet websites

The last journeys of Bayesian, according to shipping data

Ship tracking data shows that the Bayesian travelled to other parts of Sicily before it sank. 

Yesterday the boat was seen off the coast of Cefalu before it travelled towards Porticello, MarineTraffic data shows, OSINT producer reports.

The data shows the yacht also travelled around four of the Aeolian Islands – just north of Sicily – in the days before. 

Sky News is unable to confirm who was sailing onboard at the time Bayesian travelled around Sicily.