On Thursday, Italian authorities recovered a fifth body from the Bayesian superyacht that sank in a storm earlier this week, killing British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch.
The British-flagged, 184-foot vessel sank early Monday, and the five bodies identified to this point from the incident are Mike Lynch, founding father of Autonomy and Darktrace; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International, and his wife Judy; Chris Morvillo, a lawyer with Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda, who’ve also been found. Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah remains to be missing.
There are several theories as to why the huge $39 million boat sank in nearly 60 seconds, and the ship’s builder says the crew had time to rescue the passengers.
Theory one – the mast was knocked over by the wind
The first theory is that the mast of the massive ship was so high that it caused the boat to tip over when a waterspout rose –essentially a water tornado– meet the boat. John ConstantineCEO of The Italian Marine Groupwhich owns several boat brands, including the yacht builder, Perini Navi, told The Financial Times The boat was “designed for absolute stability” because it had the “second highest mast in the world.” But Karsten Borner, the skipper of a close-by boat, suspects that the sinking may very well have been brought on by strong winds hitting the 236-foot-high mast. Even with the sails down, the mast and its rigging would have offered an enormous surface area for wind resistance.
The Bayesian “went flat [with the mast] on the water and then sank,” said Borner told ReutersFor comparison, the very best mast on a sailboat ever measured was that of the Mirabella V at almost 247 feet long, in line with Guinness World Records.
Theory two – the retractable keel was within the incorrect position
The second theory concerning the reason for Bayesian sinking is that the keel was retracted when it must have been lowered, making the boat less stable. The keel is a structural beam that runs from bow to stern under the middle of the boat and offers the boat higher stability, a lower center of gravity within the water and more control when moving forward. “Without the keel, a boat could slip or slide on the water,” the boat’s manufacturer said. Seaborn.
The Bayesian had a keel that may very well be retracted, in line with the yacht’s builder, Perini Navi. It may very well be raised to scale back the boat’s draft and thus make it easier to enter shallow harbors. It is feasible that if the keel had been raised reasonably than prolonged, the boat’s stability would have been compromised in high winds and that this might have caused the boat to sink.
Theory three – a big hatch was exposed to the waves
Perhaps the strongest theory to this point is that somebody on board could have left a big hatch or door open, causing the boat to quickly fill with water. In fact, Costantino believes this theory is the strongest after watching footage of the sinking. In fact, the strict of the boat seems to have a double door which folds right down to form a sea-level deck.
Since it was obvious that the Bayesian system was taking over water, there must have been time to get everyone from the boat into the rafts. Costantino told the FT.
“Good Lord! The hull is intact. The water came from [hatchways] “There isn’t any other possible explanation. If the boat had been maneuvered accurately, it will have survived the weather with none problem – with none problem,” he said.
