The first official account of the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released the first official account of the sudden tragic sinking of the 56m Bayesian superyacht in August 2024, in which seven people died, including the yacht's owner Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

- Heather Prentice News editor

The MAIB interim report makes chilling reading for sailors. It details the rapid sequence of events which saw the Perini Navi yacht knocked down to 90° in 15 seconds by winds of over 70 knots, sinking in less than 15 minutes, and how this affected the 10 crew and 12 guests.

On 18 August 2024, Bayesian, which has a 72m mast, was anchored off Porticello, northern Sicily. The centreboard — or swing keel - was in the raised position, the MAIB said. Another yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell was anchored nearby.

Although the weather was calm with light winds, thunderstorms had been forecast. At 0300, the deckhand on watch noted that although the wind was still eight knots, the thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer. At around 0355, he took a video of the advancing storm, posted it on social media and went on deck to close the hatches.

THE STORM HITS

The wind suddenly picked up to 30 knots, hitting Bayesian broad on the port bow, which began listing to starboard. At around 0357, both Bayesian and Sir Robert Baden Powell started dragging their anchors.

At around 0400, the deckhand woke the skipper. The chief engineer also woke and headed to the engine control room to prepare the yacht for manoeuvring. Other crew had been woken by the yacht’s change of motion — by this time