In a tragic maritime incident, a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily following a severe storm, leaving six individuals missing, including prominent British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The disaster occurred on August 19, 2024, when the 56-meter-long British-flagged vessel Bayesian capsized near the port of Porticello.
The incident has left the yachting community and rescue teams baffled due to the rapid sinking of such a large vessel. Fifteen people managed to escape, while one body has been recovered. Among the missing are Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer (non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International) and his wife Judy, as well as Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.
Rescue efforts have been complicated by the yacht's position at a depth of 49 meters, limiting divers to brief 8-10 minute intervals at the wreck site. Salvatore Cocina, head of civil protection in Sicily, expressed concerns that the missing individuals might be trapped inside the vessel.
Mike Lynch, often referred to as "Britain's Bill Gates," is a well-known figure in the tech industry. He founded Autonomy, which became the UK's largest software firm before its controversial sale to HP for $11 billion in 2011. Lynch had recently been acquitted in a high-profile fraud case related to the Autonomy sale just two months prior to this incident.
The sudden sinking of the Bayesian has puzzled naval experts, who note that vessels of this size are typically designed to remain afloat for extended periods even when taking on water. Karsten Borner, a nearby skipper, reported that the yacht capsized within minutes of the storm's onset, leaving little time for those below deck to escape.
"Thunderstorms can turn out good or bad and this one was a real violent squall ... very violent, very intense, a lot of water, and I think a turning system like a tornado."
The British government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch has dispatched four inspectors to Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment. Early investigations are expected to focus on whether proper safety measures were taken, given the forecasts for inclement weather.
In an extraordinary coincidence, Stephen Chamberlain, Lynch's co-defendant in the recent HP trial, died in a road accident in Britain over the weekend of August 17-18, 2024.
Climate experts have drawn attention to the potential role of global warming in this tragedy. Meteorologist Luca Mercalli noted that the sea surface temperature around Sicily was approximately 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), nearly 3 degrees above normal. While not directly attributing the incident to climate change, Mercalli suggested that elevated temperatures could have an amplifying effect on extreme weather events.
As the search continues and investigations unfold, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of maritime travel and the potential consequences of our changing climate.