A luxury yacht that was unexpectedly hit by a violent storm in the sea off Sicily sank killing one person Lynch, while six others including a British technology entrepreneur and his daughter are still missing.
The Italian coast guard said the British-flagged 184-ft sailboat known as “Bayesian” had 22 passengers on board when it was hit by the gale near Porticello, just off the shore of this port.
An eyewitness reported that he could not find it anymore at day break. The boat sank with 15 people escaping from it before it submerged itself. Among those who escaped were Angela Bacares, wife of Lynch who owned the yacht, and her one-year-old baby girl.
The names of dead as well as those missing were not immediately released but someone involved in rescue operation confirmed that Lynch and his eighteen year old daughter Hannah were not amongst those found alive.
He mentioned among other things Jonathan Bloomer Morgan Stanley International Chairman with Chris Morvillo Clifford Chance lawyer also unaccounted for according to Sicily Civil Protection Head Salvatore Cocina.
According to an Italian media source, this man was the chef on board of the drowned vessel.
Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to requests for comment after regular business hours. A message left with Clifford Chance seeking comment wasn’t returned.
Italian Coast Guard stated that Italians Americans Canadians have been listed as missing persons. Those saved said they went for a journey which had been arranged by Lynch specifically for colleagues from his office.
“The wind was very strong. We expected bad weather but nothing like this,” a coastguard official in Palermo told Reuters.
Another captain on a nearby ship told Reuters that since he feared his boat would collide with Bayesians which rested next to him on anchor during high winds; he turned on engine power so as to steer safely through waves instead of moving directly into them
“Our vessel remained stationary and then when everything calmed down we noticed its absence,” Karsten Borner said. The other yacht, he added, “washed over and went down.”
He then added that they rescued some of the survivors including a one-year-old girl and her mother on board from a life raft before being picked up by coast guard.
Lynch is 59 years old and is a known entrepreneur in Britain’s tech industry who set up the country’s largest software firm, Autonomy, based on his pioneering studies at the University of Cambridge where he eventually became known as the British Bill Gates.
US tech giant HP purchased Autonomy for $11 billion in 2011 but things went sour afterwards with claims by the American company of fraud against Lynch.
After once being praised by academics, scientists and politicians Lynch has spent most of the past ten years fighting his corner in court. He was acquitted by a San Francisco jury in June following more than a year under effective house arrest.
The former CEO had earlier commented that he felt “very relieved” after being found not guilty in criminal proceedings where he denied any involvement and put blame on Hewlett Packard for mismanaging integration between both firms during his interview with Fortune magazine.
Divers are checking out wreck
According to coastguards, divers are examining what remains of Bayesian lying at 49 meters below sea level.
An investigation has been launched by Termini Imerese-based prosecutors to determine what really happened there.
In the previous few days, storms and heavy rains have been sweeping across Italy following a few weeks of intense heat that raised Mediterranean temperatures to their all-time highs, increasing the risk of extreme weather events.
“On Sicily, the surface temperature was at about 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is nearly 3 more than usual. It represents a highly efficient source of energy for these storms,” meteorologist Luca Mercalli claimed.
“This is not all because of global warming but it tells us that it has got an amplifying effect,” he told Reuters.
Italian shipbuilder Perini built The Bayesian in 2008 and most recently refitted her in 2020. According to Perini, its mast extends seventy-five meters upwards and is made from aluminium making it the tallest in the world.
The boat belonged to a company called Revtom Limited as reported by shipspotting.com. As per corporate documents, Bacares Lynch’s wife is the only shareholder of this firm.
Named after his PhD thesis title and his fortune-making software based on Bayesian theory, Lynch would feel affectionate for this yacht.
According to online specialist yacht sites, the design has won several awards and can accommodate up to twelve guests across six suites with a crew of ten members.
Vesselfinder vessel tracking app stated that the boat left Milazzo port in Sicily on August 14th and yesterday evening was last seen east of Palermo with “at anchor” navigation status.
