The hunt for UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter will recommence come Tuesday, following a lavish sailboat’s sinking due to a twister off Sicily’s shores. The duo are amongst six holidaymakers unaccounted for post the vessel, christened ‘Bayesian’, endured severe tempests near Palermo’s coastline in Monday’s early dawn. Mr. Lynch’s lineage is Irish – his father a fireman from County Cork with his mother being a nurse originating from County Tipperary. As per the BBC, search operations are slated to restart later on Tuesday with significant individuals like Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International Bank, and the attorney Chris Morvillo from Clifford Chance also counted among the absentees. Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s fire division, indicated on X that initial examinations of the wreckage were “unproductive” due to restricted bridge access and furniture blocking the way. Recovered was a body presumed to be the ship’s culinary expert. Of the missing voyagers, four are Brits with the remaining two being from the United States, as per Italian news platform, la Repubblica. Founder of tech titan Autonomy in 1996, Lynch was awarded the OBE for his contributions to enterprise in 2006. Lynch, during a 2015 radio discourse, verified his birthplace as being London’s Ilford, debunking rumours of his Irish birth and English upbringing. He further revealed spending his younger years’ summers in Carrick-On-Shannon and Tipperary, where his kin continue to reside. As of June, he was exonerated of fraud charges linked to an $11 billion (€9.9 billion) transaction with American firm Hewlett Packard. Sicily’s public safety organisation relayed to the BBC that Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was reported missing like her father, including the ship’s cook, Ricardo Thomas. The yacht, with the British flag, had 10 crewmembers and 12 passengers on board including Lynch’s spouse, Angela Bacares, amongst the 15 individuals who were saved, as stated by regional media outlets. The luxury yacht capsized around 5 a.m. local time. Lynch’s spokesperson declined to comment on the incident. The sinking of the yacht transpired on Monday night amidst a violent storm.
Ayla Reynold, a legal professional from New Zealand employed by Clifford Chance, successfully endured a distressing situation. Her father, Lin Ronald, verified to the Telegraph that she was invited on the voyage as a gesture of gratitude for the help she provided in Mr Lynch’s recent legal proceedings.
According to Ronald, his daughter failed to provide updates about missing or rescued crew members, simply confirming deaths and that both she and her partner were safe. “As part of the victory in a recent court case in the United States, Ayla and her legal team were extended an invitation to sail.” he stated.
Italian media carried reports from Fabio Cefalu, a fishing enthusiast who saw the atypical storm and remained at the location for an extended period. “We sighted an emergency flare in the sky after ten minutes, we assessed the tornado’s severity for about ten minutes before setting out to sea.” he explained. “Despite being the first to respond, we found no survivors at sea, only cushions and remnants of the ship.”
Daily newspaper Il Giornale di Sicilia highlighted that the ship mainly carried passengers from Britain, with a mix of individuals from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and dual British-French citizenship.
Charlotte Emsley, a British traveller and one of the survivors, recounted to la Repubblica the moment she had to keep her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, from drowning. She said, “I held her above water with all I had, stretching my arms upwards to keep her from submerging.” Charlotte and Sofia, along with Sofia’s father, James Emsley, are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
A nearby boat’s captain, Karsten Borner, informed the press that among those unaccounted for were the owner of the Bayesian vessel and a child, according to newswire Reuters. His crew rescued some survivors on a life raft, three of whom were severely injured.
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated on Monday, “We have established contact with local authorities in light of the incident in Sicily and are prepared to provide consular assistance to impacted British citizens.”
Following the incident, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch announced the deployment of four inspectors to Palermo.
The team will perform a basic evaluation of the scene, though no probe will be initiated at this point, as understood by the PA news agency. The vessel named ‘Bayesian’ has made several sea voyages in the recent past, stopping at various Sicilian ports, as informed by the ship-tracking website VesselFinder.
This luxury yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, is capable of hosting up to 12 passengers with its six suites. It is available for charter for as much as 195,000 Euros (£166,000) per week. The registered proprietor of the yacht is Revtom Ltd, a company headquartered on the Isle of Man.
It has been recently revealed that Stephen Chamberlain, the joint accused with Mr Lynch in his American fraud case, tragically died after being struck by a vehicle while jogging on Saturday. Gary Lincenberg, the attorney representing Mr Chamberlain, provided a statement to the PA news agency expressing their deep loss. He described him as a brave man possessing unmatched honesty, who successfully fought to maintain his honour at a trial earlier this year. His reputation, he adds, continues to live on through his lovely family.