Mike Lynch's yacht doomed by extreme wind, report finds
The 56-metre-long Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August 2024 when it was likely hit by a very strong downward wind, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others, Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch says.
The investigation established that, when the yacht's retractable keel was in the raised position, wind speeds in excess of 117km/h on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over.
It said it was possible the yacht was similarly vulnerable to winds of lower speed.
These vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board and were consequently unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.
"The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over," said Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees the situation was irrecoverable."
The report says a sudden increase in the wind speed caused the yacht to keel over to 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Water came in over the starboard rails and within seconds entered the vessel down the stairwells, it says.
About 18 minutes later the yacht sunk in the 50 metre-deep sea.
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker.
It featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said in August the yacht was "one of the safest boats in the world" and basically unsinkable.
The company did not provide an immediate comment on the UK report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Inside Ghislaine Maxwell's New Texas Minimum-Security Prison
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ghislaine Maxwell, the 62-year-old British socialite convicted of trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility in Texas, earlier this week. Newsweek contacted Maxwell's attorney for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has been under intense pressure over the Epstein case since July 6 when the Department of Justice and FBI released a joint statement asserting he had "no incriminating 'client list'" and died by suicide. Conspiracy theorists, including a section of Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, have long maintained that Epstein was murdered to cover up the involvement of prominent figures in his abuse. The Wall Street Journal later reported Trump had been told his name appeared "multiple times" in the so-called Epstein files by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which the White House dismissed as "fake news." Trump also said he would be "allowed" to pardon Maxwell, though he added that "it's something I have not through about" as the issue continues to cause a rift between the president and some of his supporters. What To Know In 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of child sex trafficking, though she continues to maintain her innocence. Prosecutors said the offenses were carried out in cooperation with Epstein, the New York financier and convicted sex offender who committed suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019. Maxwell initially served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Florida, a low-security prison, but, this week, the Bureau of Prisons told Newsweek that she has been transferred to Bryan. This was confirmed by David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's attorney, though he declined to comment further. In total, 635 inmates are held at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, the vast majority of which are women convicted of nonviolent offenses, according to the facility's official website. Other detainees include Elizabeth Holmes, the billionaire founder of Theranos, who was convicted of fraud; and former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah. Overall, the site covers 37 acres, with inmates housed in dormitories. A prison handbook for the Bryan prison, seen by the BBC, indicates Maxwell will be required to wear khaki-colored shirts and pants and get up at 6 a.m. each day. File photo: Signage is displayed near the entrance to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on August 1, 2025 in Bryan, Texas. File photo: Signage is displayed near the entrance to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on August 1, 2025 in Bryan, Texas. Brandon Bell/GETTY Prisoners are primarily housed in two person cells in dormitory-style facilities, according to Pink Lady Prison Consultants, an advocacy group led by former prisoners. All prisoners are expected to work, earning between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour. A range of educational programs are also available, including classes on business skills and foreign languages. The handbook says inmates can also play sports, attend religious services and access televisions. Visitors are allowed during the weekend and holidays, though with limited physical contact. Prisoners can be sanctioned if they break a number of rules, including not keeping their cells clean; leaving an area during one of the five-a-day roll calls; and sleeping past the designated wake-up time. For each meal, prisoners are allotted one hour, with the menu compiled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including macaroni, tacos, hotdogs and hamburgers. British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that facilities available at the Bryan prison include a gym, yoga classes and a 'puppy program,' which involves prisoners training service dogs in collaboration with Canine Companions. What People Are Saying In a statement released on Friday the Bureau of Prisons said: "We can confirm Ghislaine Maxwell is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Bryan, Texas." The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims who died by suicide earlier this year, expressed their "horror and disgust" at the move, which they said was made "without any notification to Maxwell's victims." The family added: "This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes. The American public should be outraged by the special treatment afforded to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender." Speaking to The Daily Telegraph Julie Howell, a Bryan prisoner, said the facility is "nothing like you see on TV or in the movies because it's a camp, which only houses nonviolent offenders." Maxwell's move came after she was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on July 25 about Epstein's activities and who else was involved. What Happens Next Trump is likely to continue facing pressure from some of his supporters to release more information about the Epstein case. Maxwell could be offered a pardon or reduced sentence in exchange for giving more details about Epstein's associates, but such a move would almost certainly be highly controversial.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rival anti-migrant and anti-racism protests face off outside a hotel housing migrants in London
LONDON (AP) — Anti-immigrant and anti-racism demonstrators faced off in London on Saturday in the latest in a series of protests outside hotels housing asylum-seekers. Several hundred protesters waving Union Jacks gathered outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London, calling for it to be closed as housing for migrants. Chants including 'Scum' and 'Britain is full' were directed at the hotel. Police separated the demonstrators from a larger group of counter-protesters chanting 'refugees are welcome here,' as people inside the hotel watched from windows. Protests against migrants have taken place in recent weeks in Epping, a town on the outskirts of London where an asylum-seeker was accused of sexual assault, and in a smattering of other towns in England. Protesters say they are concerned about the safety risk posed by the migrants, many of them young men who have recently arrived in Britain in dinghies across the English Channel. The demonstrations have drawn local people, but have also been attended, and in some cases organized, by far-right groups. The protests come a year after several days of anti-immigrant rioting across England and Northern Ireland. Crowds in more than two dozen towns attacked hotels housing migrants, as well as mosques, police stations and a library. Some rioters targeted non-white people and threw bricks and fireworks at police. The summer 2024 violence was sparked when three girls were stabbed to death at a summer dance class in the town of Southport, and online misinformation identified the attacker as a recently arrived migrant. In fact, killer Axel Rudakubana was a British-born 17-year-old. Experts and community groups warn that the mix of anger, fear, misinformation and political agitating that fueled that violence could erupt again, though protests this summer have been small and largely peaceful.
2 hours ago
Rival anti-migrant and anti-racism protests face off outside a hotel housing migrants in London
LONDON -- Anti-immigrant and anti-racism demonstrators faced off in London on Saturday in the latest in a series of protests outside hotels housing asylum-seekers. Several hundred protesters waving Union Jacks gathered outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London, calling for it to be closed as housing for migrants. Chants including 'Scum' and 'Britain is full' were directed at the hotel. Police separated the demonstrators from a larger group of counter-protesters chanting 'refugees are welcome here,' as people inside the hotel watched from windows. Protests against migrants have taken place in recent weeks in Epping, a town on the outskirts of London where an asylum-seeker was accused of sexual assault, and in a smattering of other towns in England. Protesters say they are concerned about the safety risk posed by the migrants, many of them young men who have recently arrived in Britain in dinghies across the English Channel. The demonstrations have drawn local people, but have also been attended, and in some cases organized, by far-right groups. The protests come a year after several days of anti-immigrant rioting across England and Northern Ireland. Crowds in more than two dozen towns attacked hotels housing migrants, as well as mosques, police stations and a library. Some rioters targeted non-white people and threw bricks and fireworks at police. The summer 2024 violence was sparked when three girls were stabbed to death at a summer dance class in the town of Southport, and online misinformation identified the attacker as a recently arrived migrant. In fact, killer Axel Rudakubana was a British-born 17-year-old. Experts and community groups warn that the mix of anger, fear, misinformation and political agitating that fueled that violence could erupt again, though protests this summer have been small and largely peaceful.
