It may have been caught in a waterspout. What caused the fatal sinking of the superyacht Bayesian?
One of the world’s largest sailing superyachts sank in high winds off Sicily on Monday, causing the death of UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six other passengers and crew whose bodies were recovered from the wreck or from the sea.
The trip on the Lynch family’s yacht had been intended to celebrate his recent acquittal by a US jury, with 12 passengers on board, including his wife and 18-year-old daughter, and 10 crew members.
The Italian authorities are investigating. They MAY lay charges, but that is a long way in the future, considering that the boat is in 50 meters of water off the coast. It will be weeks before they have any idea what happened.
One of the YouTube videos I watched on this incident brought up the idea that guests, and even the owner of the yacht, may have never been through a drill for emergencies. Drills inconvenience people, and owners of superyachts don't want to be inconvenienced. I've had the displeasure of meeting two of them. Entitled would be an understatement.
Those drills are mandated by law for cruise ships, but not private yachts. Since watertight doors can close in an emergency, the internal landscape of the boat can change, sometimes drastically. Even if you are familiar with the general layout, that can change in an emergency.
Bayesian was a beautiful yacht. 56 meters long, 11.51 meters beam (width), and a maximum draft of 9.73 meters, with a top speed of 15.5 knots. That is warp speed for a monohull sailboat. The boat had a 75 mete aluminum mast, one of the tallest in the world, and limited where the boat could go. It was new in 2008, and refitted in 2020. I could only find one reference that said it cost just under $40 million dollars.
Bad things still happen, even if you have a lot of money.
Some people are speculating about salvage, and in 50 meters they could certainly raise the boat given enough time and money to do so. Italy may require it for environmental reasons, but it is all speculation at this point as far as I can tell.
Rust never sleeps. Water always wins.
Oh. And the boat was built and launched as Salute in 2008. It was renamed in 2014 to Bayesian. There are a whole raft of old superstitions - centuries old - about renaming boats. There are rituals to be performed, to rename. Do we think they were performed, or are we all too scientific to ask the sea gods for protection? (Or what do you think that bottle of champagne is for at a boat's Christening?
It is interesting to note that 1957 yacht, somewhat smaller, was anchored nearby, but didn't sink. The naval architect is blaming the crew ahead of the investigation, claiming the boat was "unsinkable." I think we've heard that before.
Italy has a "Napoleonic" Justice system. A system where you are automatically guilty and must prove your innocence. The default reaction of the Italian authorities is to assume somebody MUST be guilty of SOMETHING and then proceed to shake heaven and hell in their efforts to lock someone up. They will almost certainly seek to have this yacht raised...at the late owners expense...in order to search for or create the evidence they seek.
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