An entrepreneur who’s connected to missing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch theorized that the 160-foot superyacht Bayesian may have sunk because of its massive mast.
Scott Painter, who took over Lynch’s multi-billion dollar software company called Autonomy, founded in 1996, said Lynch’s yacht may have been more vulnerable during Monday morning’s tornado off the coast of Sicily because of its over 240-foot-tall mast.
The Bayesian, which capsized with 22 people on board had “an unusually large mast” for a single-masted ship, Painter told Daily Mail.
“The mast was the ultimate sailor’s bragging right,” Painter told the outlet. “That mast must’ve been over 240 feet tall, which is either the tallest or second tallest in the world.”
Painter added: “That could certainly contribute to a capsize as it would destabilize the yacht. And if it were to lean over too far, it could absolutely capsize the yacht.”
Painter, who acquired the Autonomy brand in 2021 and developed it into an electric vehicle subscription company, says he received panicked calls from loved ones who heard of the sunken ship and feared he was on board.
“We are praying for positive news,” Painter said. “Mike is a legend and the loss of him and his daughter would truly be tragic.”
Painter also confirmed that Bauer, Autonomy’s chairman and president, was not on the luxury yacht when it went down.
“Mr. Bauer is safe in Munich and was not involved at all,” Painter said. ‘It’s pretty crazy news. That boat was exceptional. It doesn’t make much sense.”
The 160-foot luxury sailboat with 22 people aboard sank off the port of Porticello when a violent storm struck at sunrise Monday, the Italian coast guard said.
Fifteen of the ship’s passengers and crew have survived, including a mother who was holding her 1-year-old daughter above her head to keep her from drowning.
Police dive teams were searching Monday and Tuesday for six of the passengers who have been missing since the ship capsized, though the search has been slow as the ship now sits 50 meters below the surface, where divers can only stay underwater for 12 minutes, officials said Tuesday.
What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily, leaving one dead and six missing:
- A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing one passenger and leaving five others missing — including Michael Lynch, a tech tycoon known as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” officials said.
- Lynch had invited guests from the legal firm that represented him, Clifford Chance, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage, according to the Telegraph.
- Captain James Catfield, who piloted the 184-foot, British-flagged craft, was among the 15 crew members and passengers to survive after the tornado struck Monday before sunrise.
- Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the Bayesian sank Monday shows it slowly disappearing.
- Italian authorities have said the chances of the passengers surviving the disaster was very small, but “never say never.”
One body has been recovered and identified as the on-board chef, officials said.
In addition to Lynch, the missing include Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as well as Johnathan Bloomer, a chairman at Morgan Stanley International, Bloomer’s wife, Judy, and a top New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.
Lynch, who is often referred to as the “British Bill Gates” and “British Steve Jobs,” was acquitted two months ago by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.
The sale had cemented Lynch’s reputation as Britain’s answer to the Apple magnate — but it quickly turned sour after HP downgraded Autonomy’s value by $8.8 billion.
Several of the guests aboard his yacht were lawyers with the firm, Clifford Chance, who helped Lynch win his fraud trial.
The group was said to be celebrating Lynch’s acquittal following the three-month trial.
Another lawyer who represented Lynch, Ayla Ronald, survived the horrifying incident alongside her partner, their firm said in a statement.
Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued from the wreckage and is recovering from her injuries.
