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In photos: Bill Gates-owned world's first hydrogen megayacht unveiled

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Bill Gates Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

In 2020 the yachting world was abuzz with news that Bill Gates had bought as stunning and advanced yacht known as Project Aqua. The massive, 370-foot concept yacht was revealed in 2019 at the Monaco Yacht Show and news soon followed that billionaire Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world and the founder of Microsoft, had commissioned the construction of his own hydrogen-powered Aqua. But that never actually happened and, in fact, as near as anyone can tell for real, Bill Gates doesn’t own a yacht at all. 

So where did the story come from? What’s the deal with the Aqua? And hasn’t Bill Gates been pictured on a yacht before? Let’s get some answers.

How Much Did the Aqua Yacht Cost at the Monaco Yacht Show?

According to the stories online, Bill Gates paid $600 million for the hydrogen powered yacht. But that’s not true at all. According to the yacht makers, the Dutch company Sinot, the price tag is $645 million but no one bought it after it was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and that includes Bill Gates. It’s expensive but definitely not the most expensive in the world.

How Fast is the Aqua Yacht?

Aqua is a unique yacht in the yachting world which is why it garnered so much attention in the first place. It’s the first mega yacht that runs on a fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cell system that features two hydrogen engines that can produce 1,341 horsepower. The top speed is 17 knots and  the Aqua has a cruising speed of 12 knots. The total range is 3,750 nautical miles. The liquid hydrogen is stored in two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks where it can be held at -253 degrees C. The only exhaust is water.

What Does the Interior of  the Aqua Yacht Look Like?

The Aqua has 7 suites meant to house up to 14 guests at any given time. Two of those suites are larger VIP cabins. The ceilings throughout are 9 feet and stretch as high as 12.5 feet elsewhere thanks to the luxury Sinot yacht architecture. The vessel has room for a crew of 31 as well. The beach deck lounge aboard the boat alone looks like a luxury hotel space.

The Aqua features a bow observation room which is surrounded by windows to give a panoramic view of the ocean which has been described as the “ultimate superyacht owners lounge.” In addition, there’s a movie theater on the upper deck. It also includes a wellness center with a hydro massage room. You can also do some yoga in a workout space. There’s a fully equipped gym, a beauty salon, and even a hairdresser.

Up on the main deck there’s a luxury swimming pool that even includes a waterfall. One of the yacht’s defining features is the spiral staircase that covers all five decks and is covered by a skylight. On the way up it also offers a view of the interior of the hydrogen fuel tanks so you can see just what 56 tons of ultra cold liquid hydrogen looks like as you move between decks. 

The tender garage has an array of toys such as jet skis while the main deck features a beach club with a dining area designed for all 14 guests and a lounge that converts into the cinema space.

What Yacht Has Bill Gates Actually Been On?

Bill Gates does seem to like yachts, just not enough to spend his money owning one, and that’s fair. Yachts cost millions to maintain every year. No one got rich spending millions to maintain a boat.

That said, Bill Gates has not only vacationed on yachts – he spent his 66th birthday on one – he also got married on a yacht.

In 2021, Gates made the news when he celebrated his 66th on board a luxury yacht called the Lana alongside Jeff Bezos. He spent $2 million to charter the yacht for a week and flew 50 guests out to celebrate with him. 

The Lana is a 351 foot yacht with room for 12 guests and a cruising speed of 12 knots with a max speed of 18 knots. The master suite is 1,184 square feet. The room features his and hers walk-in dressing rooms and a private terrace.

Elsewhere on board you’ll find a piano in the lounge area as well as a full gym for working out. There’s both a sauna and a well-appointed spa as well. On deck you can head to the beach club or take a dip in the pool. 

There are three tenders in the garage alongside a bunch of toys including various jetskis, a seabob, wakeboards, WindSurfers, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and more. 

Back in 2014, Gates rented an even more expensive yacht, the $5 million per week Serene, to go on a vacation with his family. The Serene, once owned by  Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shelfer before being purchased by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, clocked in at a massive 450 feet making it one of the world’s biggest and even had its own on board submarine

The Serene features 7 decks, a saltwater pool, a climbing wall, a surprisingly large library, health spa, outdoor cinema and a nightclub. This is all spread across 48,000 square feet.

It’s also been confirmed that Gates met his wife Melinda on a yacht owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, all the way back in 1994. 

Why Do People Think Bill Gates Owns the Aqua?

It’s easy to see why people may have thought Gates owned the Aqua when you consider a handful of factors. First, as mentioned, we have lots of evidence that Bill Gates really does enjoy luxury yachts. The extremely high price tag was something that only a few people in the world are going to be able to afford and Gates, who doesn’t own a yacht, seems like a likely candidate for those reasons. 

In addition, Gates has spent several years now as a climate activist and has supported a number of green technologies. A yacht that runs on hydrogen seems like something he would support as well. So, with no real evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough to easily convince people. Once it’s presented as fact on the internet, and it was in many articles and videos, few people had reason to question it. 

The Bottom Line

The mega yacht known as the Aqua has a price tag of $645 million and it runs on clan burning hydrogen fuel. The only byproduct of its operation is water, making it a very environmentally friendly yacht. It made waves, so to speak, when it debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. Rumors soon began to spread that billionaire and known climate activist Bill Gates had ordered one for $600 million. However, despite many videos and articles that refer to him as the owner, the truth is no one bought the Aqua at the yacht show and, as of 2023, Bill Gates does not own a yacht at all. He is know to charter extremely luxurious yachts for vacations and parties, such as the Lana and the Serene, but he does not own any just now.

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Inside world’s first ever $1 billion hydrogen superyacht – and it’s linked to Bill Gates

The world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht has been unveiled in Amsterdam. It has taken Feadship 5 years to deliver Project 821, reportedly commissioned by Bill Gates.

Project 821 features 12 guest staterooms, two staff cabins, accommodation for 44 crew members, a hospital, library, elevator, cinema, pool with a moveable glass bottom, multiple hot tubs, steam room, a gym, separate owners deck with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two offices, and fourteen slide-out balconies.

What makes the Project 821 Feadship superyacht truly exceptional, however, is it is hydrogen-powered.

Jamie Edmiston, the CEO of yacht brokerage company Edmiston, represents the owner and is brokering the sale for a reported $1-billion. Edmiston says no expense was spared to build the groundbreaking vessel.

“The brief was to build the greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built, without compromise,” says Edmiston. “It was a huge challenge, but one that the team has embraced and delivered on. The yacht we see today, designed by RWD and built by Feadship is without doubt the best yacht ever built. I am proud to have been involved since the inception of this idea.”

Neither Edmiston nor Feadship have revealed who commissioned the superyacht. eSysman Superyachts reported in April that it belongs to Bill Gates.

Jan-Bart Verkuyl, the CEO of Feadship Royal Van Lent shipyard, says pushing green superyacht technology as far as it could go was the mandate to develop of the vessel.

 “The aim has been to develop a new, clean technology not just for this project, but for the world,” Verkuyl says. Feadship has pledged to develop ‘net-zero’ yachts by 2030 and has an R&D team researching hydrogen and other fossil-fuel-free alternatives.

“The size of the proposed yacht – 100-metres-plus – made it a good candidate to explore pure green hydrogen as the fuel-cell source,” a Feadship statement reads.

“Even a yacht the size of  Project 821  cannot carry enough liquid hydrogen to power a crossing, but Feadship could impact a yacht’s carbon footprint where it is largest — generating electricity to serve the hotel load,” according to Feadship.

A yacht’s hotel load represents 70-78 per cent of a yacht’s annual total energy and heating and air conditioning make the largest demands, Feadship states. Air conditioning is a significant energy consumer on yachts, according to research from a maritime industry body .

“Supplying that electrical power via non-polluting hydrogen fuel cells has a swift and significant impact,” according to Feadship.

“Although there are hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, and fuel cells have been used as the primary source of electrical power on human spaceflight for more than six decades, nothing existed in the maritime sector. There were no regulations for hydrogen storage and fuel-cell systems at class, flag-state or even the International Maritime Organisation level,” Feadship states.

Feadship, Edmiston and Lloyd’s Register developed new equipment, protocols and regulations for hydrogen to be used in the maritime industry. Feadship states that hydrogen fuel cells have water as their only exhaust, and are a combustion-free way to generate electricity.

“Project 821 features the most efficient waste heat recovery system yet developed, a system heating everything from the pool, Jacuzzi and steam room to the ambient air temperature and towel bars and floors in the guest bathrooms. Further savings in the hotel load will come from a Smart AC system linking sensors to an energy management system that automatically reduces air conditioning or heating in unoccupied guest spaces,” Feadship states.

When pure hydrogen is not available, electricity is generated by MTU generators combusting a biofuel said to reduce emissions by 90 per cent.

The work that has been done to deliver the no-expense-spared Project 821 superyacht is now being used for other vessels.

“The value of the research as well the development of class and flag safety regulations for an entirely new type of energy generation is an advancement we are proud to have made available to all,” says Verkuyl.

In 2025, two Norwegian ferries will operate using the system developed for Project 821.

Look back on the week that was with hand-picked articles from Australia and around the world.  Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here   or  become a member here.

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5 years in the making, eco-warrior Bill Gates’ hydrogen fuel-cell-powered megayacht is finally ready. A first of its kind in the world, the 373 feet long vessel has stealth balconies that pop out with the press of a button, multiple libraries, fireplaces, a private elevator, and a hospital

Bill Gates’ megayacht is equal parts clean and smart –

The stunning five-decker is a win-win vessel for an eco-conscious billionaire . From being innately clean, it even flaunts an efficient waste heat recovery system. It heats everything from the pool, Jacuzzi, and steam room to the ambient air temperature and towel bars and floors in the guest bathrooms. A Smart AC system includes sensors that automatically reduce air conditioning or heating in unoccupied guest spaces. Talk about a smart superyacht, and it could have only come from the genius of a tech tycoon! Back in 2020, rumor mills went abuzz with reports that Bill Gates pledged well over $600 million to build a 376-foot-long, hydrogen-powered superyacht concept. Guess there is no smoke without fire, and the result is now out of dry dock for all to see.

[All images of the Feadship Project 821 provided by Feadship]

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The World's First Hydrogen-Powered Superyacht Has a $644 Million Price Tag

Superyachts seemed to be among the last modes of (luxe) transportation to bend toward the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly engine designs. But if news from last week’s Monaco Yacht Show served as a bellwether, the industry meant to cater to the wealthiest among us made a progressive splash with the unveiling of Aqua, the world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht.

Designed by the Dutch firm Sinot Yacht & Architecture Design, Aqua is a nearly 400-foot-long vessel that's run entirely by a renewable energy source. "Water is the eternal fuel of life, the life-sustaining force that makes planet Earth habitable," says Sander Sinot, founder of the firm that bears his name. "Water is soft, yet at the same time it cuts through hard rocks." It was this appreciation of water that helped the firm find balance between the natural world and the technological. The propulsion system is made up of two 28-ton vacuumed tanks that each contain liquified hydrogen which are stored at -423 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with being eco-friendly, hydrogen-based energy means for a quieter experience aboard the ship in comparison to traditional engines. That said, there will be backup diesel generators handy should the captain ever need them.

The infinity pool aboard AQUA. 

There was much confusion on Monday if there was already a buyer who had paid the hefty $644 million price tag. Reports spread throughout the internet that billionaire Bill Gates had purchased the superyacht, rumors that proved to be false. Yet readers couldn't be blamed for believing such reports, as images show Aqua to include its own infinity pool, helipad, spa, and gym—amenities meant to attract billionaires such as Gates.

An aerial view of the superyacht shows how close passengers can get to the water, as well as the cascading design of the infinity pool.

Sinot and his team designed the vessel to safely bring passengers as close to the water as possible. "Water is relaxation; it makes us calmer and more creative," Sinot comments. "We wanted to provide those on board with the closest possible proximity to the water. The aft deck features an innovative series of platforms cascading down towards the sea, while a large swim platform allows all passengers to enjoy the optimal experience of accessing the water at sea level."

One of the bedrooms inside of Aqua shows a minimalist aesthetic. 

Aqua can reach speeds of up to 19.5 mph and features enough room for 14 guests and 31 crew members. The firm plans to complete the vessel by 2024.

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Lana: On board the 107m Benetti for charter from €1.8m a week

At 107 metres, Lana is one of the biggest superyachts ever to be launched by Italian shipyard Benetti and is currently hitting the headlines as the charter yacht of choice of Bill Gates and party guest Jeff Bezos. Take a glimpse on board...

At 107 metres, you’d think the most noteworthy features of Lana might be her sweeping dimensions or the warren of spa facilities in her belly. But actually, it’s the minutiae – because every chair, door, nut, bolt and widget of this vast yacht represents a careful judgement by a fastidious and deeply involved owner.

“This is the first build Imperial has ever done where the owner was climbing around the bilges, checking the spaces – his idea of quality went down absolutely to the nth degree,” says Julia Stewart, director of Imperial, which oversaw the build for the owner. Fittingly for such a mindset, Imperial has a microscopic approvals process that means “hundreds and hundreds” of samples are sent to the principal, and then on to the yard for reference: “Every fabric, every little hinge, every door handle, every piece of carpet – everything,” says Stewart. While potentially onerous for a builder, she believes this way of working ultimately benefits everyone, because when a subcontractor asks, “Is this OK?” the builder can point to the sample and say, “No, this is the standard.” And that, says Stewart, was a fundamental plank of the brief – vertiginously high quality.

The yard in this case was Benetti, the Tuscan builder who launched three 100-metre-plus yachts in just 100 days between 2018 and 2019 – all three were on site together at one point. Lana , the second, was arguably the “most Benetti” of the three, penned inside and out by the yard’s own design teams. In the last decade, Benetti had built a 90-metre ( Lionheart ) and a few boats around  the 70-metre mark, but it is better known for its  50- to 65-metre superyachts. 

Constructing three “gigayachts” at the same time, therefore, involved a serious change of gear. To this end, the yard  built three 130-metre-long sheds and took over a Livorno dry dock that could take 80,000 tonnes, for launching and recovering the yachts. They also moved staff to an office closer to the dry dock when the boat was there, so they could keep an eye on her. The on-site manpower required was enormous: whereas a “standard” build would involve 100 workers, Lana required 300 people on the yacht every working day for four years – and that ramps up to 1,800 if you count those working on the project off-board. To manage the build – and all the extra staff – Benetti’s usual managerial team of five per yacht grew to 20 for Lana .

And then there was Covid-19. “It was close to being finished but about six months before delivery, it hit,” says Stewart. “Obviously a lot of contractors were affected by it. Tuscany wasn’t affected as much as further north but all the contractors’ facilities are up there.” There were also issues with getting flag surveyors to the boat, although having 18 crew on board added a helpful flexibility for such visits. The yard, meanwhile, kept the project moving and did not close.

Leading the charge for Benetti was Elisabetta Maria Di Noto, who joined as project manager in 2018, fresh from the build of Lionheart , Benetti’s flagship before the 100-metre-plus hat-trick. “The giga client is very different from, say, the ‘normal’ client,” she says, describing the approach of Lana ’s owner. “He’s a very powerful person, a very precise person, firm and confident – the highest-demand client I’ve ever met.” The yacht was to be a reflection of those qualities, and to that end, “he followed every single phase of the construction, every single design, every line.”

During ideas meetings, more and more horizontal elements were removed from the exterior design until only long, low lines were left, with mild undulations for balconies and wing stations. “The extreme horizontal lines give it a very robust, masculine persona,” says Benetti exterior designer Michele Guerrieri, “while the three-dimensional elements add fluidity and elegance to that.” Despite this sleek appearance, the 2.7-metre head-heights are described by all involved as the most astounding aspect of the interior – a magic trick you can only pull off in a boat this big. “It’s almost cathedral-like,” says Stewart. “It’s a very airy, light boat.”

This frame is flattered, says Di Noto, by “soft colour palettes that offer a feeling of tranquillity.” The idea was a relaxing interior that was neutral enough that you would not get bored after a few cruises. The natural materials that run through the decor – largely leather, ayous wood and marble – have been worked by Italian artisans, whose skill is a point of pride for Benetti. “I don’t like fussy objects and endless detail,” says Benetti interior designer Mauro Izzo. “There needs to be a balance – not too much, not too little, but everything has  to be special.”

The main saloon is suitably grand, with pale grey sofas by the Luxury Living Group arranged around a white leather, marble and stainless-steel coffee table, which was designed by Izzo and built by Viareggio furniture-maker Sealine. Forward, the dining saloon is flooded with light via huge sliding glass doors that entirely open up the space on both sides. The dining table is made of wood, leather and stainless steel, inset with an engraved brass panel, while each chair is “inset with a hand-carved crystal lion.”

The combination of airy dimensions and decorative mastery is also on show in the bridge deck master suite. Full beam, on a yacht with a 14.4-metre beam, is something to behold. In the cabin there’s space enough for seating areas both to port and starboard, while full-width sliding doors on to broad balconies open up the space even more. The suite’s study features a custom-made desk with Bentley armchairs and bespoke lamps decorated with tiger’s eye gemstones to complement the suite’s cream carved carpets and milk chocolate-toned ayous wood. The bathroom forward is lined with cool crema marfil marble that was selected in Valencia and worked to a polish in Sicily. “It’s luxurious without being aggressive; it’s opulent but accessible,” says Izzo.

The area also showcases a more pragmatic aim of the project – privacy – in both the spatial sense and in terms of sound transfer. To the first point, the master suite is self-contained, with its own pantries. It’s also positioned on the bridge deck, between two non-social spaces – the bridge zone, with the captain and first officer’s cabins, and the stairwell. If the suite were in an aft deck position, there might be a deck space connected to the lower decks via stairs, or at least a view of those decks. Here, the master cabin benefits from two broad but very private balconies: “we have ceramic heating outside here,” notes Stewart. Throughout the boat, the intersection between guest and crew areas has also been carefully routed and planned.

And sound? Well, the boat has been strategically and amply insulated to keep auditory separation between spaces. In the 80-square-metre bridge deck piano lounge you’ll hear the tinkling ivories, rather than the state-of-the-art Sonus Faber Olympica sound system of the saloon-cum-cinema just forward (which is connected but can be closed off via highly insulated sliding doors).

Top-quality, reliable tech was another facet  of the brief, and it’s everywhere, down to the sophisticated LED lighting system that produces little heat and therefore saves energy by sparing the air conditioning. The seven (yes, seven) VIP cabins, with an average size of 32 to 33 square metres, on the main deck all feature 65-inch 4K OLED televisions and the sundeck features every bit of party tech imaginable: a California Audio Technology system with 10 speakers and two subwoofers; a space prepped for two club-standard speakers with two built-in K-array subwoofers; and a set-up for DJ decks. Not to mention the four 55-inch 4K SunBrite outdoor televisions. With plenty to look after, Imperial made sure the AV/IT guy got his own mini-office.

But this isn’t the only impressive technology on board. Lana is powered by eight diesel generators, controlled by a highly responsive power management system that means the minimum energy is used to satisfy power requirements. There are also two high-tech side-launching Benetti-built tenders stored on the lower deck –  a 14-metre limo tender designed by Giorgio Cassetta , and a nine-metre open tender for watersports and diving, which was penned in-house. Then there’s the treasure trove of toys, an ample dive store and even golf clubs with biodegradable balls. These can be put to good use on the fold-down balconies of the 120-square- metre beach club – where the atmosphere is anything but “outdoorsy.”

“The furniture features handles made of ammonite fossils, and then we have niches made of turquoise turtle, hosting corals,” says Di Noto. There’s a huge central seating area, off which lie a gym, hammam with mosaics and RGB “stars” and a massage room.

Throughout the boat, the finish in deck areas is taken as seriously as it is indoors. “Outside, the ceilings are made of natural oiled teak, so they  give a more precious feeling in the exterior areas,” says Di Noto. “All the external tables are made of  teak, stainless steel and glass – a very complicated design – and the exterior sofas are made in wood and stainless steel, and in some areas they are underlit.” The dining tables on the main and bridge decks aft, for example, feature backlit onyx, stainless steel and high-gloss teak. And the exterior aft deck tables can be converted into bioethanol firepits.

The sundeck’s eight-metre pool, vast sunbathing areas and shaded dining table with a backlit honey onyx base (this al fresco dining area measures 100 square metres) will likely be the daytime hub, as well as party central at night. The top deck, meanwhile, is more intimate and feels like a spot for a quiet coffee or maybe cocktails.

Imperial is rightly proud of its achievements in Lana , and for Benetti she’s part of a new chapter in the yard’s story. “This,” says Di Noto, “will,  I think, remain in Benetti not only as a physical investment in terms of sheds and materials, but also as know-how and experience that everybody can apply to other projects in the future.”

Closer look: Lana's 3D-printed chandelier

The chandelier-cum-sculpture in the centre of Lana ’s lobby both highlights the grand scale of the space it sits in and demonstrates the perfectionism that went into every detail of the yacht. “We went through 10 different renderings before settling on the one the client wanted,” recalls Benetti interior designer Mauro Izzo. The piece was commissioned from Italian lightmaker Luce5. “It was quite challenging for them because to actually show the owner of the boat how it was going to look, they had to build it in a 3D printer,” says Julia Stewart, director of Imperial.

Once the real thing was moulded in mirror-polished stainless steel, installation offered its own difficulties: “At six metres in length, it’s not so much a lighting feature as an architectural element of the boat,” notes Izzo. From a structural point of view, it sits above a glass table and marble floor, intersections that were carefully managed. “A lot of vibration testing was done and it’s got steadying bars for heavy weather,” says Stewart. Within the thin strip of metal lies a track of lights that had to be changed four or five times to get each spot and glint in the exact position the owner wanted. The end result? A freely looping, pirouetting ribbon of light that belies the hard work beneath its surface.

This feature is taken from the January 2021 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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Billionaire Bill Gates buys hydrogen-fuelled superyacht for $500 million

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is currently celebrating the engagement of his daughter, Jennifer, to Egyptian showjumper Nayel Nassar, but he's also got another reason to be happy - a brand new superyacht.

The 112-metre luxury vessel is the world's first hydrogen-powered super yacht, and will feature all the usual billionaire mod-cons, including an infinity pool, helipad, spa and gym. There are five decks, with accommodation for 14 guests and 31 crew members - more than two per person.

As well as being powered by liquid hydrogen, another eco-feature are the fire pits, which are actually gel-fuelled fire bowls, designed to keep guests warm outdoors without burning wood or coal.

Costing in the region of $500 million, the Aqua ship was first publicised at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019 by Dutch design firm Sinot. Speaking then, the company's eponymous designer said, 'For the development of Aqua we took inspiration from the lifestyle of a discerning, forward-looking owner, the fluid versatility of water and cutting-edge technology, to combine this in a superyacht with truly innovative features.'

He went on to explain how the hydrogen fuel works, saying: 'AQUA is fuelled by hydrogen, a unique concept which represents a significant progression towards achieving a new balance between nature and technology. The system is based on the use of liquified hydrogen, stored at -253°C in two 28-ton vacuum isolated tanks. The liquified hydrogen is converted into electrical energy by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, with water being the only by-product.'

The Daily Telegraph reports that the ship will be in service from 2024, and will reach speeds of 17 knots. It will be able to travel for 3,750 miles before refuelling but will also have a diesel back-up due to the lack of hydrogen refuelling stations available.

This will be the world's second richest man's first yacht. He has previously rented them for holidays, most recently including the $330m yacht Serene, which he borrowed from Stolichnaya vodka magnate, Yuri Scheffler, to sail around the coast of Sardinia.

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Inside Bill Gates’ $2 Million-a-week Rented Yacht…

Superyacht Serene, and inset, Bill Gates

Take a step inside the 440ft superyacht Serene   Microsoft billionaire   Bill Gates rented for his family at the cool price of $2 million per week…

The amazing boat boasts a helicopter landing pad for that awesome private arrival and can accommodate up to 24 guests in 15 cabins, with a crew of 52 – meaning that your every whim would be tended to accordingly.

The luxury yacht is personally owned by Russian vodka businessman Yuri Scheffler and its current residents are off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, according to reports in the Daily Mail and other publications.

This huge $330 million ship arrived into port at Seattle’s Pier 90 approximately one year ago, and was the biggest private yacht to ever to glide into Seattle waters.

With very large indoor saltwater pool, two helicopter landing platforms and storage for a large submarine and tender, this is a pretty spectacular playground for someone!

It has hot and cold Jacuzzis, and a jet stream exercise pool. The upper-deck pool is 50 feet long. There are lounges, bars, spas, elevators, a powder-generating “snow room” for kids, a cigar lounge, hair salons, many galleys and wine cellars, a theater, and a room they call “Nemo” that has a glass bottom to view the waters beneath.

There’s a grand dining room, smaller dining areas and a plethora of pizza ovens and grills. And somewhere in all that is a spiral staircase that reaches six of the seven decks.

Chandelier inside Serene

Upper deck space on Serene

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A Closer Look at Serene: The $330 Million Yacht Bill Gates Chartered

While many people must scrimp and save to afford a family holiday, that is not the case for the rich and famous, who have the financial means to go wherever they want whenever they want. You will not find them in budget motels or trying out a destination’s free attractions. Instead, wealthy people can choose the most luxurious accommodation and unique experiences possible for their vacation. One such person who can afford these luxuries is Bill Gates who, with a personal net worth of $95.4 billion, is the second richest person in the world. He has even chartered a yacht worth $330 million to enjoy a vacation with his family.

According to Boat International , Gates chartered a yacht called ‘Serene’ for an estimated $5 million per week. He did this to enjoy a break away with his wife and three children. The family enjoyed a week together on the yacht just off the coast of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, in August 2014.

The 133-foot yacht is one of the largest in the world, and it is owned by Yuri Scheffler, the Stolichnaya vodka magnet. This yacht was delivered to him in 2011, and he has had it on the charter market ever since. Built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, it has a rather impressive crew of 53 to take care of the needs of those who charter the yacht. So, what is on the inside of this ship to make it such an amazing experience that is worthy of the high price tag?

The Yacht Charter Fleet has ways for its travelers to enjoy activities both off and onboard. The helipad is available so that guests can take trips to the mainland to enjoy a little sightseeing, a meal in a restaurant, or a local activity. There are also jet-skis available for some fun one the waves around the boat or to travel back to the mainland to enjoy some time away from the yacht. Furthermore, the yacht has its very own submarine. However, you might wonder why anyone would want to get away from the yacht when there is so much to enjoy onboard, including activities for children. Just some of the activities and amenities on board for entertainment include a climbing wall, a trans-deck waterslide, a snow room, a playroom, multiple pools, and a cinema. This means that there are plenty of things onboard to keep the children entertained.

This yacht is not all about the kids having fun, as there are plenty of things for the adults, too. In fact, Serene has a myriad of amenities spread over its six decks that make this a unique way to vacation. From the outside, one of the ship’s most impressive features is its supersized bathtub on the sun deck. The award-winning Serene has a private beach club that has a secluded sunbathing area and a sauna. There are also two Jacuzzis and a sundeck dance floor. Opposite the relaxing hot tun tucked underneath the ship’s observational deck is a fully stocked wet bar with extra sun loungers.

Two of the indoor living and entertaining spaces include a cocktail lounge and a piano bar, while outdoor there are various al fresco dining areas, such as a wet bar, a barbeque, a Teppanyaki grill, and a pizza oven. An unusual space in this yacht is the underwater observation lounge, which many people would find a relaxing area as they watch marine life existing in tranquility around them. Serene also has rather impressive accommodation and it can accommodate up to 24 guests. There are 12 luxurious staterooms, include a master suite, a VIP suite, seven double suites, and three twin cabins. The interior design is the work of Espen Oeino with styling by Reymond Langton. The duo has created living spaces that are stylish and opulent while also being comfortable and versatile.

One of the most impressive areas in terms of styling is the sky lounge. This room is decorated in shades of cream that is accented by darker colors and finished with wooden fixtures. It is equipped with sofas, chairs, and coffee tables for relaxing, and boasts some of the most impressive views from the ship which you can view from almost any vantage point. Another fantastic space is the main lounge, which is a more formal area for entertaining. The main color used is white, which gives the room a bright and airy feel, and some warmth is added with darker tones. Central to the room is a piano, which is surrounded by cocktail tables. An unusual feature of this room is its chandelier. The lounge is located directly above the main dining area, and the chandelier drops between the two rooms.

A double staircase leads down to the chic dining area below. It is set to accommodate a maximum of 24 guests and features two 12-seater tables. However, there is the possibility of entertaining even more people as the tables are extendable and there is plenty of space. This means you can host a banquet in this room. Floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides of the rooms give spectacular panoramic ocean views.

Bill Gates’ time on the yacht with his family is part of his plan to take a more relaxed approach to life and to spend some time away from the office. He has said that he doesn’t have the energy he had when he was younger and plans to balance running his Microsoft Empire and enjoying time with his family better now that he is older. This includes taking vacations away with his loved one. Serene and other chartered yachts are the perfect way for this billionaire businessman to relax and have some fun in comfort and privacy.

Since Gates’ vacation on the yacht, Scheffler has sold the superyacht to Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia says Yacht Harbor . The Saudi Arabian royal paid a whopping $458 million for the yacht in July 2015. The yacht was once the ninth largest in the world, but it has now dropped into the 15th place because even more impressive superyachts have been built since.

Liz Flynn has worked as a full-time writer since 2010 after leaving a career in education. She finds almost all topics she writes about interesting, but her favorite subjects are travel and food. Liz loves the process of researching information, learning new things, and putting into words what others who share her interests might like to read. Although she spends most of her time writing, she also enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, watching films, cooking, dining out, reading, motorsports, gaming, and walking along the beach next to her house with her dog.

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Inside your “Lana Superyacht“ , where Bill Gates celebrating with Jeff Bezos

Lana Superyacht

On October 28 Bill Gates turned 66 years old. And he’s been for the past couple of weeks, cruising the Mediterranean on board Superyacht LANA , partying with Jeff Bezos and 50 guest.

“ Lana “, built in 2020 by Benetti , is one of the most luxurious superyachts in the world. It is 350 feet (107 meters) in length and features eight luxury cabins, which can accommodate 12 guests. Currently, Gates is renting the boat for 1.8 million euros per week.

Guests were seen taking helicopters from Gates ‘ superyacht “Lana ” to the beach for a party that lasted about four hours, where guests were served local seafood, sushi, pizza and lots of champagne.

After the party Bezos returned to his own superyacht, “ Flying Fox “, in Gökova Bay, by private helicopter.

“ Flying Fox ” is bigger than “ Lana “. It is nearly 450 feet , with a 40-foot  pool. Its rent costs around 3 million euros per week.

Bezos did not appear on “ Flying Fox ” last week. But a helicopter was seen transporting people from one of the two helipads on the superyacht .

Aside from a shared passion for superyacht vacations, Gates and Bezos also have a lot in common in investment interests and philanthropic goals, and have partnered to support green energy technology.

The sick and twisted "66th" birthday party ☠️ not to mention their carbon footprint 🤫 Do as I say, not as I do! https://t.co/dBGixi6rhY Guests were reportedly helicoptered from Bill Gates's megayacht, Lana, to the secluded, picturesque cove in Fethiye, Turkey, on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/dstHVDX14p — O'Haley (@LG_HALEY) October 31, 2021

But, the  terrible waste of energy Bill Gates contributes to the reduction of CO2 on his 66th birthday by transporting himself on his own yacht and then by helicopter

A superyacht the size of “ Lana ” or “ Flying Fox ” emits about 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 19 tons per day.

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Bill Gates’s superyacht is in Mallorca and up for sale

One-of-a-kind luxurious support and exploration vessel, facebook boss likes his toys in mallorca, from superyachts to helicopters, mark zuckerberg tried to sneak his new superyacht into palma in secrecy, the kardashians celebrate mallorca holiday with spanish beer.

The Wayfinder moored in Palma. | Julian Aguirre

The superyachts of some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world have begun to arrive in Mallorca and the latest belongs to Bill Gates , who has a stake in the Four Season group which is about to reopen the famous Hotel Formentor near Puerto Pollensa in August. The Wayfinder docked in Palma on Sunday although there has been no sign of its owner.

The Wayfinder is a luxury auxiliary and exploration support vessel that is about 68 metres long and was commissioned by the Galician shipowners’ company Armón in 2021. The yacht may have a simple design on the outside, but contains all kinds of luxuries on the inside. The yacht which was decorated by the Basque firm Oliver Design, contains a Scandinavian theme with bright, open spaces, light oak and colourful touches, which manages to create a timeless and welcoming feel. Although one of its great attractions is the helipad with hangar at the stern of the yacht.

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Even Mark Zuckerberg prefers Instagram over Facebook in Mallorca!

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In fact, she is a treasure trove of toys kitted out with the usual trappings – Jet Skis, water skis, wakeboards, Seabobs and snorkelling equipment – as well as diving equipment located in its dive compressor. She is also capable of carrying five large tenders. And, a fold-down transom reveals a fully equipped gym with direct access to the sea ; images revealing free weights, machines and a punching bag for boxing. Located on the lower deck portside, the fold-out beach club allows guests to work out by the water’s edge with impressive sea views.

However, it is unlikely that the American tycoon will be using her - he has put it up for sale for an estimated 59 million dollars. Several media and specialised portals in this sector have indicated that yacht brokers Edminston is in charge of managing the sale of Wayfinder, which they define as “a boat designed to serve as a support vessel for a mother ship and capable of operating all over the world”. The vessel can accommodate more than 15 crew members, as it has 12 cabins and well as space for 12 guests.

So, anyone looking for a military-inspired, rugged, and very competent catamaran that can be either a shadow vessel to a much larger superyacht or a superyacht on its own can have Wayfinder, as long as they can afford the €55 million asking, which is $59 million at the current exchange rate.

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Bill Gates preaching to common folk about climate change, useless vaccines and pushing for the world to eat bugs. And has a massive yacht and private jets. Animal Farm springs to mind.

4 bodies found inside the Bayesian, Mike Lynch family yacht, amid search

Four bodies were recovered inside the Bayesian superyacht on Wednesday, more than two days after it sank off the coast of Italy , setting off an exhaustive search for six missing people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch .

Two of the bodies discovered earlier on Wednesday were brought to shore. One body recovered was a heavily built man, Reuters reported.

Six of the ship's 22 passengers, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, went missing after the yacht plunged under the water just before 5 a.m. on Monday as a storm swept across the area. Americans are among the missing, officials have said.

The U.K.-registered yacht belonged to Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was also on board and was rescued. The tech tycoon was recently acquitted on fraud charges after a year under house arrest.

Ricardo Thomas, the ship's cook, was found dead on Monday, according to the coast guard.

The rescue mission saw a diving team, helicopters and multiple coast guard ships deployed to search the water. Fifteen people were pulled from the water on Monday, and eight were hospitalized in stable condition.

A 'black swan event'? Experts puzzle over why Bayesian yacht sank

An investigation opened by local prosecutors into the cause of the disaster is ongoing. Experts have pointed to a water spout, a tornado over the water that can travel up to 120 mph, that formed during the storm, as well as the heavy weight of ship's mast, one of the largest in the world.

The 184-feet-long ship was made by Italian ship manufacturer Perini in 2008.

Lynch set off on the cruise late last month to celebrate his acquittal on fraud charges in the U.S. that marked a decade of legal challenges, the Associated Press reported .

One of his lawyers and a character witness for Lynch during the trial were also on board and vanished when the boat went down. Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the four people found.

Here are the passengers who were declared missing.

Mike Lynch and Hannah Lynch

Mike Lynch, 59, is co-founder of Britain’s largest enterprise software, Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, and founder of venture capital fund Invoke Capital. 

Sometimes known as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” Lynch was slapped with charges after HP said it had uncovered deceit and a major accounting scandal within the firm. He spent a year on house arrest after being extradited from the UK.

In early June, at the end of a 12-week trial, a San Francisco jury acquitted Lynch of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was also cleared on a charge of securities fraud later that month.

Lynch and Bacares have two daughters and six dogs, all named after engineering parts, according to the U.K.’s Sunday Times in a profile of Lynch from last month.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was also among the missing. She was preparing to study English literature at Oxford University, according to the Sunday Times. 

Hannah is the younger of Mike Lynch’s two daughters, the Times reported . Mike Lynch told the outlet that his daughters had grown up with their father being publicly accused of fraud. 

Jonathan Bloomer and Judy Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer is the non-executive chairman of both Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox, among other companies. Bloomer acted as a character witness on Lynch’s behalf during his fraud trial. 

Hiscox Chief Executive Aki Hussain told Reuters in a statement that the firm was deeply shocked and saddened and their thoughts were with all those affected. 

Bloomer’s twin brother, Jeremy, told BBC that he is processing the news and the family is waiting to hear updates.

“He was my elder by half an hour, so, it means a lot when you lose a twin brother,” Jeremy Bloomer told BBC. “We’ll still wait and see, so it’s fingers crossed.”

Jonathan Bloomer’s wife, Judy, is a psychotherapist of nearly three decades and former teacher. She specializes in anxiety and stress. She studied English language and literature at Homerton College in Cambridge.

Christopher Morvillo and Neda Morvillo

A lawyer with Clifford Chance, Chris Morvillo was among the team that represented Mike Lynch during his trial. Morvillo is an American citizen. 

He was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2005, and he worked on the criminal investigation stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Morvillo was a graduate of Fordham University School of Law and Villanova University. 

Neda Morvillo, his wife, owns a hand-crafted jewelry company under her maiden name, Neda Nassiri. The company’s website said she has been designing and making jewelry for over 20 years.

In a post on LinkedIn after the conclusion of Lynch’s trial, Chris Morvillo acknowledged his family for their support during the case. 

“And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.  None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. 

And they all lived happily ever after…."

Contributing: Reuters

Family clings to hope of air pocket in sunken superyacht as debris hampers search

PORTICELLO, Sicily — Divers searching for six missing people from a superyacht which sank off the coast of Sicily told NBC News Wednesday that debris inside the vessel, as well as its depth, were making their job difficult.  

As hopes of finding anyone alive dwindled, the divers said that they had managed to force open one of the Bayesian’s access doors but access to the cabins where people could be trapped was being hampered by detritus. 

The divers, who were not authorized to speak publicly, added that the depth of the wreck meant they were left with only 10 minutes to search the 184-foot yacht once they reached it. Then they had to return to the surface, they said. 

On Wednesday, the dock where they set off from was swarming with vehicles, boats and rescuers. Nearby tourists, reporters and photographers have gathered, eager for news. Helicopters occasionally fly over the area.  

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five of the 22 other people who were aboard the yacht remain unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped in the Bayesian’s hull, nearly 170 feet underwater.

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, are also missing. 

Officials confirmed Monday that at least one person, the ship’s cook, had died. 

Rescuers said Tuesday that there might be people trapped inside the cabins, especially considering the timing of the storm, but that they had so far been unable to check through the ship’s portholes.

“The operations are long and complex,” Italy’s national fire department, whose diving teams have been participating in the search, said on X . 

Italy's coast guard also said Tuesday that divers were also using a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to aid in the search.

The Bayesian is owned by a firm linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of the 15 people rescued Monday after it capsized near Sicily’s main city of Palermo in what Italian officials called a “violent storm.” 

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian could carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. Its nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters.  

Lynch, who was regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” was acquitted by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges stemming from the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

Prosecutors alleged that Lynch and Autonomy’s vice president for finance, Stephen Chamberlain, had padded the firm’s finances ahead of the sale. Lynch’s lawyers argued that HP was so eager to acquire Autonomy that it failed to adequately check the books .

The Mediterranean sailing vacation was designed to be a celebration for Lynch, who brought Morvillo, one of his U.S. lawyers and Bloomer, who testified in his defense, on the trip.

Bloomer’s twin brother, Jeremy, told the BBC on Tuesday the family was “coping the best we can” and he was hopeful there might still be air pockets inside the hull. 

Chamberlain was not aboard the Bayesian.

In what appears to be a tragic coincidence, a car struck and killed Chamberlain on Saturday as he was jogging in a village about 68 miles north of London, local police said.

Claudio Lavanga and Claudia Rizzo reported from Porticello and Yuliya Talmazan from London. 

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," they said. 

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coastguard official told Reuters.

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

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Mike Lynch, ‘Britain’s Bill Gates,’ Confirmed Dead in Superyacht Wreck

British software mogul Mike Lynch , 59, has died after a superyacht he was onboard sank off the coast of Sicily, where he was celebrating being acquitted of fraud by a jury in the US weeks earlier.

Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah, and four other passengers—including Morgan Stanley international chair Jonathan Bloomer (formerly of Lynch’s company Autonomy) and Lynch’s lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at Clifford Chance—were reported missing when the yacht sank. After a three-day search, the Italian coastguard has reportedly confirmed that Lynch had died in the wreck. Lynch’s daughter is still unaccounted for, but the bodies of the other passengers have now reportedly been identified.

Lynch is survived by one daughter and his wife, Angela Bacares, who was among the 15 people aboard the Bayesian who were rescued by emergency services.

The entrepreneur was initially reported missing after the Bayesian —a 180-foot luxury craft reportedly registered to a company owned by his wife—was buffeted by a violent windstorm in the early hours. The storm, a type of marine tornado known as a waterspout, is reported to have toppled the yacht’s mast , capsizing the boat and causing it to sink.

The yacht’s name is thought to be a tribute to Reverend Thomas Bayes, a man who in the 1700s set out to prove the existence of God through mathematics. Bayes’ work helped Lynch build his fortune: His theorem was the basis of Autonomy’s ability to analyze big data sets. Autonomy, a software firm Lynch cofounded in 1996, would become one of the UK’s most successful technology exports during a period otherwise dominated by Silicon Valley. In an interview with WIRED in 2015 , Lynch said that Bayes “would probably turn out to be to the information age what Einstein was to physics.”

Lynch was born in Ireland in 1965 but was raised in the English county of Essex. He studied natural sciences at the University of Cambridge, where he later obtained a doctorate in mathematical computing and became a research fellow.

Autonomy was far from the only company Lynch had a hand in starting. In the 1980s, he established Lynett Systems, which provided audio products to the music industry. In 1991, he started Cambridge Neurodynamics, a company that specialized in fingerprint recognition. In 2012, he founded Invoke Capital, a vehicle for investing in British technology companies which later provided seed funding to the now publicly listed cybersecurity business Darktrace .

In 2006, Lynch was awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution to British enterprise, and in 2011 he became an adviser to the UK government on matters concerning science and technology.

The public perception of Lynch would come to be defined, though, by the $11.7 billion sale of Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011—a deal that turned sour soon after completion and over which he was subsequently accused of fraud.

Within a year, HP had written down the value of the purchase by $8.8 billion , alleging it had uncovered “serious accounting improprieties” and “outright misrepresentations.” In 2019, the US Department of Justice brought 17 counts against Lynch on the basis of those claims. The superseding indictment listed a variety of charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy.

US prosecutors alleged that Lynch had embarked on an elaborate, multiyear scheme in which he backdated and fabricated sales and lied about the condition of Autonomy’s finances in public filings. The effect, they claimed, was to deceive HP into purchasing Autonomy for a puffed-up price. Prosecutors argued that Lynch himself walked away from the deal with at least $640 million in cash.

After a protracted legal fight over extradition, Lynch eventually faced criminal trial in the US in early 2024. He always denied the charges against him, but the odds of an acquittal didn’t look good; in 2018, Autonomy CFO Sushovan Hussain was convicted on similar charges, and in 2022, Lynch lost a civil trial in the UK High Court that culminated in a ruling that Autonomy executives had fraudulently boosted the firm’s reported revenue, earnings, and value.

But after a meandering, 12-week trial in federal court in San Francisco, Lynch was cleared of all charges by a jury, escaping the prospect of more than 20 years in prison . In a statement issued after the trial, Lynch described himself as “elated” and said he was “looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.”

In a separate incident, Lynch’s co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former vice president of finance, has also died , after being hit by a car in Cambridgeshire, UK, over the weekend.

In an interview with The Times —his first after the verdict was announced—Lynch spoke about the strangeness of having been granted “a second life”: “The question is, what do you want to do with it?”

In a statement, former Autonomy COO Andrew Kanter tells WIRED that Lynch "was the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known.” He adds, “There is simply no other UK technology entrepreneur of our generation who has had such an impact on so many people. His passion for life, knowledge, and all those around him was instantly inspiring to everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed.”

In a tribute to Lynch provided to WIRED, David Tabizel, cofounder of Autonomy, described his late partner as a “remarkable individual” and “the rarest of entrepreneurs.”

“The man was a legend, a genius, a gift to world business and above all, a mensch,” says Tabizel. “Britain’s Bill Gates? Not really. Britain’s Steve Jobs.”

Updated 8-22-2024 12:30 pm BST: This story was updated with a tribute to Lynch from David Tabizel.

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Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly.

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By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

Two months after being cleared in a bruising legal battle over fraud charges, the British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his freedom with a cruise. He invited his family, friends and part of his legal team on board his luxury sailing yacht, a majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian after the mathematical theorem around which he had built his empire.

On Sunday night, after a tour of the Gulf of Naples, including Capri, and volcanic islands in the Eolian archipelago, the boat anchored half a mile off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy. It chose a stretch of water favored by the Phoenicians thousands of years ago for its protection from the mistral wind and, in more recent times, by the yachts of tech billionaires. The boat was lit “like a Christmas tree,” local residents said, standing out against the full moon.

But about 4 a.m., calamity unfolded. A violent and fast storm hit the area with some of the strongest winds locals said they had ever felt. Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman, said he saw a flare pierce the darkness shortly after 4.

Minutes later, the yacht was underwater. Only dozens of cushions from the boat’s deck and a gigantic radar from its mast floated on the surface of the sea, fishermen said.

In all, 22 people were on board, 15 of whom were rescued. Six bodies — five passengers and the ship’s cook — had been recovered by Thursday afternoon, including that of Mr. Lynch, an Italian government official said, adding that the search was continuing for his daughter.

It was a tragic and mystifying turn of events for Mr. Lynch, 59, who had spent years seeking to clear his name and was finally inaugurating a new chapter in his life. Experts wondered how a $40 million yacht, so robust and stable could have been sunk by a storm near a port within minutes.

“It drives me insane,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company, Perini, that made the Bayesian. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

The aura of misfortune only deepened when it emerged that Stephen Chamberlain, 52, a former vice president of finance for Mr. Lynch’s former company and a co-defendant in the fraud case, was killed two days earlier, when he was hit by a car while jogging near his house in England.

Since June, the two men had been in a jubilant mood. A jury in San Francisco had acquitted both on fraud charges that could have sent them to prison for two decades. There were hugs and tears, and they and their legal teams went for a celebratory dinner party at a restaurant in the city, said Gary S. Lincenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Chamberlain.

The sea excursion was meant as a thank-you by Mr. Lynch to those who had helped him in his legal travails. Among the guests was Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a scion of a prominent New York family of lawyers who had represented Mr. Lynch for 12 years. He and his wife, Neda, 57, were among the missing.

So, too, was Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a veteran British insurance executive who chaired Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. All the other crew members survived. Among them was Leo Eppel, 19, of South Africa, who was on his first yacht voyage working as a deck steward, said a friend, who asked not to be identified.

Since the sinking, the recovery effort and investigation have turned the tiny port town of Porticello, a quiet enclave where older men sit bare-chested on balconies, into what feels like the set of a movie.

Helicopters have flown overhead. Ambulances have sped by with the sirens blaring. The Coast Guard has patrolled the waters off shore, within sight of a cordoned-off dock that had been turned into an emergency headquarters.

On Wednesday afternoon, a church bell tolled after the first body bag was loaded into an ambulance, a crowd watching in silence.

The survivors were sheltering in a sprawling resort near Porticello, with a view of the shipwreck spot, and had so far declined to comment.

Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said that the yacht had most likely been hit by a fierce “down burst” — when air generated within a thunderstorm descends rapidly — or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

He added that his agency had put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds. Locals said the winds “felt like an earthquake.”

Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely safe and secure boat that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing.

But he said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, is to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

The New York Times attempted to reach the captain, James Cutfield, who had survived, for comment through social media, his brother and the management company of the yacht (which did not hire the crew), but did not make contact.

So far none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened that night.

Fabio Genco, the director of Palermo’s emergency services, who treated some of the survivors, said that the victims had recounted feeling as if the boat was being lifted, then suddenly dropped, with objects from the cabins falling on them.

The Italian Coast Guard said it had deployed a remotely operated vehicle that can prowl underwater for up to seven hours at a depth of more than 980 feet and record videos and images that they hoped would help them reconstruct the dynamics of the sinking. Such devices were used during the search and rescue operations of the Titan vessel that is believed to have imploded last summer near the wreckage of the Titanic.

After rescuers broke inside the yacht, they struggled to navigate the ropes and many pieces of furniture cluttering the vessel, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s national firefighter corps.

Finally, as of Thursday morning, they had managed to retrieve all but one of the missing bodies, and hopes of finding the missing person alive were thin. “Can a human being be underwater for two days?” Mr. Cari asked.

What was certain was that Mr. Lynch’s death was yet another cruel twist of fate for a man who had spent years seeking to clear his name.

He earned a fortune in technology and was nicknamed Britain’s Bill Gates. But for more than a decade, he had been treated as anything but a respected tech leader.

He was accused by Hewlett-Packard, the American technological pioneer that had bought his software company, Autonomy, for $11 billion, of misleading it about his company’s worth. (Hewlett-Packard wrote down the value of the transaction by about $8.8 billion, and critics called it one of the worst deals of all time .) He had been increasingly shunned by the British establishment that he sought to break into after growing up working-class outside London.

He was extradited to San Francisco to face criminal charges, and confined to house arrest and 24-hour surveillance on his dime. In a townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood — with security people he jokingly told associates were his “roommates” — he spent his mornings talking with researchers whom he funded personally on new applications for artificial intelligence. Afterward, he devoted hours to discussing legal strategy with his team.

Despite his persistent claims of innocence, even those close to Mr. Lynch had believed his odds of victory were slim. Autonomy’s chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted in 2018 of similar fraud charges and spent five years in prison.

During Mr. Lynch’s house arrest, his brother and mother died. His wife, Angela Bacares, frequently flew over from England, and she became a constant presence in the San Francisco courtroom during the trial.

After he was finally acquitted, Mr. Lynch had his eye on the future. “I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting from Pallanza, Italy.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

Mike Lynch won a dramatic 12-year legal battle over his tech company. Weeks later, he and his top lawyer are dead.

• Mike Lynch won an unexpected jury acquittal after a dramatic 12-year legal saga.
• HP accused him of cooking the books of his company Autonomy to make it seem worth billions more.
• He finally won — and then he, his lawyer, and his codefendant all died within days.

In 2011, Mike Lynch was the toast of the tech world.

Hailed as Britain's Bill Gates, Lynch sold Autonomy, his groundbreaking data-management company, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

Shareholders and business commentators were puzzled about what HP, a hardware company, would do with Autonomy, a software company — and why the latter was worth $11 billion. HP's executives said at the time that Autonomy had the potential to transform HP and usher the Silicon Valley titan into a new generation.

None of that happened. A year after the acquisition, HP wrote down $8.8 billion of the purchase value and accused Lynch of lying about Autonomy's finances.

The claim led to a vicious decadelong series of legal disputes.

Another Autonomy executive, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison. Federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain, the company's former vice president of finance.

Lynch's court battles concluded with a three-month criminal trial in San Francisco. After just two days of deliberation, jurors found Lynch and Chamberlain not guilty on all counts.

"The truth has finally prevailed," his lawyer Chris Morvillo said.

Within months, Lynch, Chamberlain, and Morvillo were all dead.

A takeover doomed from the start

Lynch, who studied neural networks for his Ph.D. at Cambridge University, spun off Autonomy from a previous company, Cambridge Neurodynamics, in 1996.

Using sophisticated algorithms, Autonomy allowed users to organize and search through large amounts of unstructured data. It was a bright spot in Britain's tech industry and was listed on the country's stock-market index.

Autonomy's clients included Oracle, Adobe, Cisco, AT&T, and HP itself. But HP's purchase of Autonomy was controversial.

The hardware company's CEO, Léo Apotheker , who had been in the position for less than a year, tried to shift the company's direction. HP had struggled to sell printers and servers as part of its traditional hardware business. Apotheker wanted to spin off HP's personal-computing division and make a big bet on moving the company into software, which had higher margins.

Analysts hated the idea. Shareholders sued. HP's value dropped by more than half. The company's board fired Apotheker within weeks of the decision to buy Autonomy, before the deal even closed.

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His successor, Meg Whitman, fired Lynch and wrote down the value of Autonomy by $8.8 billion, which indicated HP paid nearly four times what it should have. The New York Times columnist James B. Stewart floated the case that it was the worst acquisition in corporate history — even worse than AOL's ill-fated purchase of Time Warner.

In a stunning move, HP accused Lynch of fraud the following year. The company alleged he and Hussain, a former CFO, inflated Autonomy's sales figures. The FBI and the UK's Serious Fraud Office both opened investigations.

Lynch fervently denied accusations of wrongdoing. He pointed out that Autonomy was audited by Deloitte, which hadn't found issues. Lynch said HP stifled Autonomy with mismanagement and bureaucracy that pushed out employees and stymied sales.

The culture at HP, he said, was poisonous.

"It was like boarding a plane, realizing the engine is on fire, and then going up to the cockpit only to find that the pilots are having a fight," he told The Telegraph at the time .

According to The New York Times, lawyers representing shareholders in the lawsuit against HP obtained a copy of the company's own KPMG-prepared due-diligence report. The report said that Autonomy wasn't transparent enough with its finances, but Apotheker moved forward with the takeover anyway, deciding that Autonomy's potential was worth it.

A legal morass

The UK's Serious Fraud Office announced in January 2015 that it closed its investigation into Autonomy, finding insufficient evidence for legal action, though it referred some issues to the US Justice Department.

In the subsequent months, HP and Lynch sued each other in the UK. As those cases wound their way through the British court system, US prosecutors continued investigating HP's purchase of Autonomy. In 2016, they brought fraud charges against Hussain, who was found guilty in a 2018 jury trial. British regulators formally barred him from the financial industry earlier this year after he completed a five-year sentence in the US.

HP unloaded Autonomy altogether, selling parts of it in 2016 and 2017.

In November 2018, Justice Department prosecutors went directly after Lynch and Chamberlain.

Their indictment accused Lynch and Chamberlain of falsifying financial documents, lying to auditors and regulators, and suppressing the voices of people who criticized Autonomy's financial practices.

Lynch was no longer looking at civil fights over money. He was facing the prospect of up to 20 years in prison.

For years, Lynch fought extradition to the US. Powerful in British political circles — he had advised David Cameron when Cameron was prime minister and served on the boards of the BBC and the British Museum — he and his lawyers argued that his legal issues should play out in the UK, not the US. American criminal laws were unfairly stacked against him, his lawyers said.

HP's lawsuit against Lynch — still churning in the background — finally went to trial in 2019. Apotheker testified he would have abandoned the Autonomy acquisition if he had a better understanding of its finances. Lynch argued that the whole morass was orchestrated by Whitman, Apotheker's successor, who harbored political ambitions (she ran for governor in California and is currently the US ambassador to Kenya) and wanted to shift the blame for Autonomy's failures to someone else.

Robert Hildyard, the judge who oversaw the case, ruled mostly in HP's favor. In a 2022 decision that ran over 1,700 pages, he wrote that HP overpaid for Autonomy because of deceit from Lynch and Hussain. Hildyard hadn't yet decided how much they would owe in damages, but he wrote it would be "substantially less" than the $5 billion HP asked for.

When he wasn't fighting legal battles, Lynch continued to be an entrepreneur. He founded a venture-capital firm, Invoke Capital, and invested in and helped run the cybersecurity firm Darktrace, which,  Politico reported, has deep ties  to Britain's intelligence agencies.

Financial disclosures Lynch filed last year as part of his criminal case indicated he was worth about $450 million.

The criminal trial

The UK finally extradited Lynch to the US in May 2023 , where he prepared for his trial — alongside Chamberlain as a codefendant — while under house arrest in San Francisco.

Lynch had a top-shelf legal team, but after the British court loss and Hussain's conviction, the chances of an acquittal seemed bleak.

Lynch testified at the end of his three-month trial, which began in March, telling jurors he wasn't involved in day-to-day financial oversight of the company. Misunderstandings, he said, could be chalked up to the differences between British and American accounting practices.

"A lot of what we've been looking at is like peering through the door of a kitchen and seeing the sausage-making machine, and that's how it really works," he told jurors, according to The Times of London . "If you take the microscope into even the most spotless kitchen, you'd find bacteria. If it wasn't there, that'd be something very abnormal. I don't think Autonomy was any different."

Jurors believed him. In June, they declared Lynch not guilty of the 15 charges against him, clearing Chamberlain as well.

Morvillo, one of Lynch's lawyers in the trial — as well as in the preceding decade of legal disputes — praised the jury, saying it had rejected "the government's profound overreach in this case."

"This verdict closes the book on a relentless 13-year effort to pin HP's well-documented ineptitude on Dr. Lynch," Morvillo said in a joint statement with his attorney colleague Brian Heberlig. "Thankfully, the truth has finally prevailed."

In an interview with The Times of London after the trial , Lynch reflected on how, with a great burden lifted off him at the age of 59, he could remake his life.

He mourned the deaths of his brother and mother, who both died ahead of the criminal trial. He mused about using his fortune to start a British version of the Innocence Project, which prevents wrongful convictions in the US.

"Now you have a second life," he told The Times. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

But first, a celebration. Lynch; his wife, Angela Bacares; one of his two daughters; Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and several others went on a superyacht, the Bayesian , which was anchored outside Sicily and owned by Bacares.

Chamberlain moved back to the UK. While running near his home, a driver hit him with a car . He died in a hospital on Saturday.

On Monday, a sudden storm struck the Bayesian. The yacht capsized.

Of its 22 passengers, 15, including Bacares, were rescued.

But rescuers have pulled five bodies from the wreckage, including Morvillo's and Lynch's . A sixth remains trapped inside the boat. Lynch's daughter Hannah remains missing.

Correction: August 22, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misnamed Lynch's lawyer. His name was Chris Morvillo, not Charles Morvillo.

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