Preliminary investigations in the UK found that the poorly destined superyacht Bayesians of British tycoon Mike Lynch are "vulnerable" to make them prone to tilt in strong winds.
The 56-meter ship once described by its builders as "unbelievable" and dragged anchors on the Sicily coast last year after being hit by a hurricane wind last year. Lynch, his daughter, four friends and a crew member, all died, while 15 survivors, including Lynch's wife, were rescued.
The Bayesian is known for its unusually high 72-meter mast, which was tilted after being knocked down and fell inside, the British Marine Accident Investigation Department (MAIB) said Thursday. The findings are based on evidence collected before the start of recovery efforts this month.
The report said that in the early morning of August 19, Bayes "sharply sting to 90 degrees starboard within 15 seconds." It showed no signs of flooding beforehand, adding: "until water on the starboard rail enters and enters the interior space through the stairwell within seconds" - apparently precluded the earlier theory that flooding begins through an open hatch.
The fact that the yacht's towering mast and adjustable keel are in a raised position both reduce its stability and is particularly vulnerable to injury in strong winds.
"The findings suggest that the extreme winds encountered by the Bayes are enough to knock down the yacht," said Andrew Moll, the chief prosecutor of the Marine Accident. “Once the yacht’s heels exceed 70 degrees, the situation cannot be resolved.”
Near another older superyacht, Sir Robert Barden Powell also dragged the anchor in the same storm, but still floated. Its crew rescued the survivors from Bayes.
MAIB uses the yacht’s own “stable information manual” based on part of the University of Southampton research. The report notes that Bayesians and keels’ vulnerability was not included in the pamphlet, so “no owner or crew members know.” It found that the wind speed from the side beam was higher than 63.4 knots, enough to tilt the yacht.
MAIB has not issued any security recommendations and says its conclusions may change as more evidence emerges. The Italian Sea Group acquired Bayesian builder Perini Navi in 2022, declining to comment.
Rescue efforts were restored last week after the accidental death of Dutch divers, and investigations continued in an effort to separate the mast from the hull. Authorities hope to collect further evidence in the next few weeks the wreckage now 50 meters underwater, five miles from the Sicily coast.
Shortly after the tragedy, Italian prosecutors conducted a criminal investigation into three crew members, including the captain, although no one was formally prosecuted. At the time, the Italian Sea Group denied any design flaws and human errors of suggestions, such as opening a critical door, which caused sunk.
However, Maib’s description of crew manipulation and evacuation efforts concluded that the yacht’s vulnerability in high winds was crucial to rapidly tilt in sudden storms.