Tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch drowned off the coast of Sicily on August 19, 2024, along with six other passengers on the multi-million pound yacht,
An interim report has now concluded that the yacht was knocked over by "extreme wind" and could not recover.
The Bayesian sank near the Italian town of Porticello on August 19 of 2024, during a freak weather incident. At the time, there were reports of water spouts.
22 passengers were on board, including Lynch and his daughter. Here’s a closer look at the incident in the wake of the new report.
Who was Mike Lynch?
Mike Lynch was a British technology entrepreneur who was an early investor in Autonomy Corporation, Invoke Capital, and Darktrace.
Throughout his career, he also took on various other roles, including in an advisory capacity. In 2023, he had an estimated personal worth of £852 million.
Autonomy was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, which ultimately led to accusations of fraud. This concluded with civil litigation in the UK in 2019, which largely went in favour of Hewlett-Packard.
In 2023, Lynch himself was extradited to the United States, alongside the former VP of Finance at Autonomy Stephen Chamberlain, to face criminal charges of conspiracy and fraud, which he denied. He went on trial in San Francisco in March 2024 and in June was found not guilty on all counts.
He was celebrating his acquittal on the yacht in August later that year, when the incident took place.
Who was Mike Lynch’s wife and children?
Lynch was married to Angela Bacares, with whom he had two daughters, Esme and Hannah.
Hannah was also killed in the yacht accident alongside her father, at the age of 18. Her sister Esme, who was 21 years old at the time, and mother Angela survived the incident.
"No matter what, she brought boundless love to me," Esme said, speaking about her sister to the East Anglian Daily Times after the yacht sank. "She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.
"And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals. She is my little angel, my star."
Before the accident, Hannah was due to study poetry at the University of Oxford.
What happened on the yacht?
The investigation into what happened on the yacht is still ongoing, with no final date yet confirmed. However, the interim report states that the yacht was knocked to a 90-degree angle within 15 seconds at 4:06am local time on August 19, 2024.
The yacht had sailed to the location where it would sink in an attmept to shelter from thunderstorms, furling its sails at the time.
At 3am, wind speed was at no more than 9mph, but this increased to 34.5mpg within an hour and to 80.6mph by 4:06am, when the yacht capsized.
This caused widespread disruption on board, knocking people, furniture and loose items across the deck. Several crew members were working to manage the situation, including a deck hand who went onto the deck to close the windows.
Five people were injured by falling items and the deck hand outside was swept into the sea. Two of the yacht guests used furniture drawers to climb out of their cabin.
The MAIB's chief inspector of marine accidents Andrew Moll confirmed that the situation on the Bayesian was "irrecoverable" once the yacht tilted beyond 70 degrees.
"There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells," the report reads.
Looking into the boat itself, the investigators have found that it was “vulnerable” to lighter winds, with it liable to tip over when faced with speeds of 73mph or higher. The owner and crew were reportedly unaware of this, as it was not featured in the onboard information book.
Seven of the 22 passengers were killed, including 59-year-old Lynch and his daughter Hannah. His wife, Angela, and second daughter Esme managed to get to a lifeboat and survived the incident.
A criminal investigation by Italian authorities has reportedly hindered the work of the MAIB, restricting access to the wreck.
Attempts to raise the vessel for more evidence were also put on pause after a diver died while working on it. Work is expected to resume from May 15.
