Report Attributes Bayesian Superyacht Sinking to Crew Actions Rather Than Severe Storm

Experts contracted by Italian prosecutors investigated the weather conditions during the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht on August 19, 2024, off the coast of Sicily. The preliminary report stated that the storm was a little more than a squall and manageable for the 184-foot vessel.

The report attributed the sinking to crew members underestimating the storm's strength, taking improper actions, and lacking certain security devices. The superyacht capsized and sank, killing seven people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, and five others.

Lynch, aged 59, was hosting 11 guests, including his wife Angela Bacares, aboard the vessel. m. in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The public prosecutor's office in Termini Imerese, Sicily, is conducting a criminal investigation into the shipwreck. Captain James Cutfield, chief engineer Timothy Parker Eaton, and deckhand Matthew Griffiths could face charges, including negligent shipwreck and multiple counts of manslaughter.

Prosecutors alleged that Griffiths, on night watch, did not realize the boat had taken on water and acted with malpractice, recklessness, and inexperience. The report further stated that the two underlings did not properly alert Cutfield of the dangers, and the captain did not notify passengers of the impending shipwreck risk.

Experts had previously theorized that a tornado-like waterspout struck the vessel, described as a black swan event. An interim report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch noted that Cutfield was preparing to position the ship into the wind when it suddenly increased to more than 70 knots, causing the craft to tip 90 degrees to the right in under 15 seconds and shutting down the generators.

The ship's builder, Perini Navi, could be held liable, as the $37 million vessel sank in under 16 minutes. Security camera footage from 650 feet away captured the Bayesian disappearing. The superyacht was recovered near Palermo, Italy, on June 21, 2025.

Angela Bacares survived the sinking along with 15 others near Porticello. She sustained cuts on her feet from glass while escaping. Bacares was ordered to pay over $1.2 billion in March stemming from a 2015 lawsuit related to the 2011 acquisition of Mike Lynch's software firm Autonomy by HP, after Lynch was found guilty of artificially inflating the company's value.

Lynch, known as Britain’s Bill Gates, had invited guests from the legal firm Clifford Chance, which represented him, and his company Invoke Capital. His daughter Hannah was the last body recovered from the wreckage. Bacares faces potential bankruptcy from the court order, with her husband's estate valued at $669 million.

The sinking followed a sudden weather event that experts now describe as not catastrophic. The investigation continues, with potential charges pending against the named crew members.