yacht pictures

• A photo Photos   10k
• Pen Tool Illustrations   39
• A stack of folders Collections   12k
• A group of people Users   154

Browse premium images on iStock | Claim your discount now

Make something awesome

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

The best pictures of Koru

In 2022, the 125.8-metre sailing yacht Koru made history when she hit the water at Oceanco ’s Alblasserdam facilities. Now successfully delivered, she is the flagship of the Oceanco fleet and the largest Dutch-built yacht in the world. 

BOAT rounds up the best pictures of the three-masted sailing yacht owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos...

Koru unable to dock in Florida

Koru arrived at Port Everglades, Florida in November 2023 following a months-long Mediterranean cruise that included stopovers in Dubrovnik, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and Calabria (according to BOATPro ). The sailing yacht was too large to anchor in the nearby marina, which has a maximum capacity of 121.9 metres. She was photographed instead docking next to a 297-metre cruise ship named Rhapsody of the Seas .

Koru's helicopter landing

Last summer, Koru was spotted in the French Riveria alongside her 75-metre support vessel Abeona . Delivered by Damen Yachting two months before the mothership, Abeona is equipped with a helipad and hangar for a D14 value helicopter– which is clearly being put to good use. Accommodation is for up to 45 people onboard Bezos' support vessel, including crew, guests and other specialist staff.

Koru in Portofino

Koru and Abeona also travelled to Portofino in the summer of 2023, with both Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez sighted enjoying lunch and taking photographs while on board. 

Koru's figurehead

Throughout construction, it was difficult to get a glimpse of the details on board Koru ; but once handed over, all of her traditional features could be admired up close. As well as the intricate gold paintwork and scarlet bootstripe, the yacht also features an elaborate figurehead made of polished wood. The woman is wearing a necklace with a symbol in the pendant, which some have speculated could be the Māori symbol meaning "koru".

Koru in front of Palma Cathedral

After delivery, the schooner spent some time enjoying the waters of Mallorca. The Balearic hotspot is a magnet for superyachts during the Mediterranean season, but Koru had the quiet anchorage largely to herself after leaving the Oceanco shipyard. Her classic lines could be appreciated in all of their glory against the backdrop of Palma Cathedral. 

Koru delivered to Mallorca

In April 2023. Koru was delivered and undertook her maiden voyage from the Netherlands to Gibraltar. She then headed onwards to Palma, giving the world a first glimpse of her cascading aft decks, mighty masts and elaborate aft deck pool arrangement. She was flying solo in Mallorca, but was later joined by support vessel Abeona .

Koru in Gibraltar

Following her successful sea trials in Rotterdam, Koru embarked on journey to Palma, Mallorca that involved an overnight anchorage in Gibraltar. The sailing yacht was sighted passing through the Strait of Gibraltar a second time on her cross-continental journey from the Mediterranean to the USA in November 2023.

Koru on sea trials

Koru was spotted departing from Rotterdam in the early morning light of February 13 to begin sea trials. The 125.8-metre Oceanco set sail across the North Sea to put her performance to the test after hitting the water for the first time in August 2022. The traditional three-masted schooner yacht has a midnight blue hull, traditional canoe stern and the unique addition of a chair at the very tip of the bowsprit. Her name represents the idea of life’s perpetual movement and is a Māori word closely related to that of an unfurling leaf.

Koru with her masts stepped

The yacht was seen for the first time in her final form on the dock in the Port of Rotterdam. Her trio of masts was stepped here to avoid having to dismantle any bridges to allow the Oceanco giant yacht to pass under. The maximum height of the bridge is 70 metres; the masts on Koru are thought to measure between 65 and 85 metres. The first images of Koru indicate the yacht will have plenty of features for her owner to enjoy, including an aft deck pool and a large, uncluttered sundeck.

Koru launched

The 125.8-metre yacht was moved from Oceanco’s primary facilities at the crack of dawn to enter the final stages of construction. The hull was transported via Dordrecht and Spijkenisse (Oude Maas), and her masts were transported separately via the slightly shorter Rotterdam Centre (Nieuwe Maas).

Koru moves through the Dutch canals

Before she hit the water, the hull of Koru was loaded onto a transport vessel and she made the journey through the Dutch canals for further construction work. The yacht was captured against the backdrop of the quaint Dutch countryside, revealing her classic-looking lines and long rows of windows.

Koru from a bird's eye view

As she was wheeled out of the shed into the light of day, yacht-spotters were able to get their first proper aerial shot of the yacht, without her masts. 

Koru rolls out of the shed

When Oceanco completed the work on the hull, the yacht was rolled out of the shed to reveal a crisp navy hull and white superstructure. Koru ’s exterior design immediately drew a comparison to Lürssen’s 93-metre sailing yacht Eos , which was designed by US-based Langan Design . This was the world’s first sighting of the already iconic superyacht.

Sponsored listings

Mike Lynch yacht latest: Divers smash through window into hull with crucial hours ahead in Bayesian search

LIVE – Updated at 07:57

Rescue teams have managed to smash through a glass window and enter the hull of the Bayesian as crucial hours are ahead in the search for survivors inside the superyacht.

The firefighter divers were able to reach the common areas of the vessel through the gap, Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday – however, they are yet to make it to the cabins, which is still set to take a while as entrances may be blocked.

It comes as an engineer warned the next 24 hours are “critical” in the search for the six people who went missing after the boat sank in a severe storm in the early hours of Monday . One man has so far been confirmed dead, Recaldo Thomas, while a further 15 people survived the incident.

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation in 2012, told Sky News : “They’ve got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued. You’ve got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out.”

The missing tourists are billionaire Mike Lynch, who owns the yacht; his daughter, Hannah Lynch; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Mr Lynch had reportedly invited his lawyers and friends to celebrate a recent legal victory that cleared him of fraud accusations in the US.

Have you been affected by this story? Email [email protected]

• Rescue teams enter Bayesian’s hull by smashing through glass window, local media report
• Pictured: Chef Ricardo Thomas with ‘smile that lit up the room’ who died in yacht tragedy
• Two more survivors named and pictured
• Mother of survivor says she is ‘beyond relieved’ her daughter is safe
• Another name of surviving crew member confirmed by Italian coastguard
• Captain speaks for first time from hospital bed with just five words

Seven key unanswered questions around the sinking of the Bayesian

With the Bayesian lying on her side 50 metres underneath the now gentle waters of the Mediterranean, mystery still surrounds how the 56-metre superyacht, sank in the typhoon off the port of Porticello.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers are looking to raise the yacht, which experts will examine in the coming days.

It will take weeks for Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, and his team to establish whether the sinking of the Bayesian was down to human error, an unpredictable weather event or whether anyone is liable.

They have said they will interview the survivors in the coming days – some of whom were pictured leaving the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which has become the headquarters for survivors, police and rescuers.

My colleague Barney Davis takes a look at some of the key unanswered questions in this report:

The key unanswered questions around the tragic sinking of the Bayesian

Search to resume for remaining person missing after luxury yacht disaster

The search will resume for the remaining person missing after a luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily following the discovery of five bodies inside the wreck, reports Ellie Ng .

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed that of the five bodies found on Wednesday, only four had been recovered, and the whereabouts of the missing sixth person remain unknown.

Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified. Body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon, with the process of bringing the fifth body to shore being described by Mr Cocina as “ongoing”.

He said searches will resume on Thursday morning, and that there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing.

Mike Lynch yacht sinking latest: Fifth body found inside Bayesian sunken off Sicily

British tourist held baby above waves after yacht sank, Italian doctor says

An Italian doctor at the hospital where British tourist Charlotte Emsley and her one-year-old daughter were taken said the mother held her baby above the waves after the yacht sank.

Dr Domenico Cipolla, of Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in Palermo, told the PA news agency: “The child and the mother went to the hotel near Porticello on Tuesday, they are both in a good condition.

“Obviously the mother and the husband were so shaken by what has happened, it was a tragedy for them.

“She told me that two minutes after falling asleep with her baby they were in the water, she did not understand how this happened, it went dark. Her partner was not with her, he was in another room.

“She held the child high in her arms above the waves, for a few seconds the baby was in the water but she saved her.”

Mapped: Where Bayesian sank off coast of Sicily as search enters fourth day

Why did the superyacht bayesian sink.

Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in Italy, a sailing expert has said.

Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, believes the vessel’s huge mast is also likely to have contributed to the deadly event.

It is believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel’s occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Mr Jefferson told the PA news agency: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.

“The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge. It acted almost like a sail. (It) pushed the boat hard over on its side. (The boat) filled with water before it could right.

“This is all speculation, but that’s the only logical explanation.”

Mr Jefferson added that such incidents are “incredibly rare”, describing the chances of a yacht being hit by a waterspout as “minuscule”.

The yacht’s aluminium mast measures 72 metres, making it one of the largest in the world among sailing yachts.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht which was near Bayesian, told news agency Reuters he witnessed the ship go “flat on the water, and then down”.

Salvo Cocina, of Sicily’s civil protection agency, said: “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Watch: Moment Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm

Bayesian was victim of ‘high impact’ weather-related incident, says expert.

The Bayesian was the victim of a “high impact” weather-related incident, Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, a UK-based non-profit organisation that trains sea rescuers, has said.

"If it was a water spout, which it appears to be, it's what I would class as like a black swan event," he told Reuters, meaning a rare and unpredictable phenomenon.

Survivors recuperate at hotel complex in Porticello

Survivors have been recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello.

Authorities have been gathering witness statements from them there.

The curious life of Mike Lynch – who believed dogs could read our minds

Just under 10 weeks ago, 59-year-old Mike Lynch was on trial in San Francisco on 17 charges of fraud . He was almost guaranteed to receive a 25-year sentence.

He was terrified that he would die in a US prison, not because he was guilty – he had spent £30m on legal fees arguing his innocence – but because it’s almost unheard of in the US to win a case against the US Justice Department. His chances of winning were put at 0.5 per cent. However, after 13 years of putting together detailed evidence to support his plea, he was acquitted and it felt like a miracle.

Once back in the UK, Lynch set about celebrating what he called his second life. Through tears, he told one interviewer how even the traffic in London seemed magical. “I’m just thinking this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he said.

Jonathan Margolis writes:

Mike Lynch: The missing tech tycoon who believed dogs could read our minds

Full story: Five bodies found inside wreck of sunken superyacht Bayesian off coast of Sicily

Five bodies have been discovered inside the wreck of the luxury superyacht Bayesian after it sank in a severe storm off the coast of Sicily.

Only four of the five bodies found on Wednesday have so far been recovered, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said on Wednesday evening, while the whereabouts of the sixth missing person remain unknown.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the six people unaccounted for after his vessel sank at around 5am on Monday near the Sicilian capital of Palermo, having been caught in a violent tornado , known as a waterspout.

Read the full story here:

Five bodies found inside wreck of sunken superyacht Bayesian off coast of Sicily

In pictures: Four bodies recovered from Bayesian superyacht are brought ashore

Bayesian’s captain described as ‘very good sailor and well respected'.

The Bayesian's captain, James Cutfield, is a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean, his brother Mark has told The New Zealand Herald.

The 51-year-old New Zealander survived the shipwreck.

Captain of yacht who helped rescue 15 survivors of Bayesian disaster tells of ordeal

The captain of a yacht who helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken Bayesian superyacht has described how his crew spotted the distress flare set off from a life raft.

Karsten Borner said his vessel, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when the "extreme" weather hit.

He said his boat was using its engine to stay in position and the crew noticed the Bayesian had disappeared before a passenger on his yacht spotted the flare.

Mr Borner said they dispatched their tender which found the life raft and brought the occupants back to his yacht.

He told Sky News : "We couldn't see them anymore and they disappeared from the radar, we were busy keeping our own ship sailing. We couldn't see the ship again so we were aware something was very wrong."

He said it was only when the tender set out that they found the life raft.

He said: "It turned out to be the life raft, a 12-person life raft with 15 people inside including one baby. They stepped over to our tender and we brought them back to our ship. There we took good care of them, gave them dry clothes, towels, blankets, tea and coffee and so on and took care of them."

Mr Borner said he helped the coastguard launch its search and rescue mission for the other occupants of the Bayesian.

He added that the captain of the Bayesian told him the yacht had sunk in two minutes but he had since seen a video which showed it go down in 60 seconds.

He said: "The engineer and captain had no explanation why she sank so quickly. My personal opinion is it shouldn't tip like this, it goes against any logic."

He also questioned the safety of the Bayesian's 75-metre mast and added: "I think it's not safe to build the masts."

Describing the strength of the storm and sea spouts that hit his yacht and the Bayesian, he said: "They were very close and we were hit very hard, very strong and they had the same. It was extreme, it was extremely strong."

Who are the people missing?

Five bodies have been found in the search for six people missing after the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.

The island’s civil protection agency confirmed on Wednesday that four out of the five bodies have been recovered and a sixth person remains unaccounted for.

It comes after the body of a chef on the superyacht, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered on Monday.

Here is detailed what we know of those who were on board:

Bayesian yacht sinking: Who are the people missing?

Identities of recovered bodies not yet confirmed by authorities

Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people unaccounted for after the yacht, named Bayesian, sank at around 5am on Monday.

Dozens of emergency services personnel lined port when bodies taken to shore

Dozens of personnel from the Italian Coastguard and local fire service lined the port when the bodies were being taken to shore.

Ambulances were seen taking them away, escorted by police cars.

Hundreds of locals gathered to watch, as church bells were heard ringing out.

Searches finish for day, with one person still missing, confirms civil protection agency

The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina has told the PA news agency that searches have finished for the day and will resume on Thursday.

He confirmed that five bodies have been found, but only four recovered.

One person remains missing, Mr Cocina said.

In pictures: Body bag brought ashore by divers after Bayesian tragedy

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers are looking to raise the yacht , which experts will examine in the coming days. For now, the focus is on finding the people missing since the yacht went down in the early hours of Monday 19 August.

My colleague Barney Davis reports:

Five bodies now found on sunken luxury yacht off coast of Sicily

Five bodies have been now found inside the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily.

Three body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon following the sinking of the yacht at around 5am on Monday.

The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said that four bodies had been recovered and efforts to bring a fifth to shore were "ongoing".

He said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority was to find those who are still missing.

As the three body bags were taken back to the port of Porticello, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

Coastguard questions survivors including Bayesian captain

The coastguard has been questioning survivors, including the captain of the Bayesian, and passengers on the yacht that was moored next to it who witnessed the ship going down, judicial sources said.

No one is under investigation at the moment, sources added.

Besides the diving team, the coastguard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle to scan the seabed and take underwater pictures and videos that it said may provide “useful and timely elements” for prosecutors looking into the disaster.

Experts have been at a loss to explain how a large luxury vessel, presumed to have top-class fittings and safety features, could have sunk within minutes, as recounted by witnesses. The yacht anchored next to it was unharmed by the storm.

Three body bags seen being taken to Porticello port

Three body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon following the sinking of the yacht.

The three bodies brought ashore were taken to nearby hospitals for formal identification, while the fourth corpse was being taken to land as evening set in.

The identities of the victims were not immediately given by the authorities.

The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina confirmed two bodies had initially been found on the Bayesian, followed by two more later in the afternoon.

Watch live: Search resumes after four bodies found inside Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht

Watch a live view of a port in Palermo , Italy , on Wednesday (21 August) as a search operation resumes after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of the Sicilian city:

Live: Search resumes after four bodies found inside Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht

Tributes paid to ‘incredibly talented’ chef who died on sunken superyacht in Sicily

Tributes have been paid to a chef whose body was recovered after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily , as rescuers fear six people are still trapped inside the wreck.

Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat.

A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.

Read the full article here:

Tributes paid to ‘incredibly talented’ chef who died on sunken superyacht

Ambulance leaves the harbour as search continues

An ambulance ahs been pictured leaving the harbour after a body bag was brought ashore at Porticello by rescue workers.

Identities of bodies remain unknown

The identities of the four bodies that have been found inside the Bayesian yacht have not yet been identified, with two brought in body bags to shore.

One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, a source close to rescue operations said, while the second was that of a woman, Italian news agency Adnkronos said.

Two more bodies found inside yacht

Two further bodies have been found in a luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday.

The boat, owned by the wife of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was carrying 22 passengers and crew and was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized during a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday.

Two corpses were brought ashore from the wreck earlier on Wednesday.

Yacht's captain questioned for more than two hours

The yacht’s captain was reportedly questioned for more than two hours by investigators who are looking into the shipwreck.

James Cutfield, 51, who is from New Zealand, was questioned on Tuesday evening to help provide technical details and for prosecutors to have a clearer understanding of the boat’s final moments.

His brother Mark earlier told the New Zealand Herald he was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.

Body bag brought ashore as search efforts continue

A body bag has been brought ashore after emergency services confirmed that two bodies had been discovered in the wreck of the superyacht Bayesian.

Who are the divers searching for?

Specialist divers have been searching for six people who went missing when the Bayesian yacht sunk in the Mediterranean Sea.

They include British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who owned the boat, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as well as Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International and his wife Judye Bloomer and Clifford Chance partner Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Body appears to have been pulled from the water

A body appeared to be pulled from the water near the site of the sunken Bayesian yacht on Wednesday afternoon.

A green body bag was taken back to the port of Porticello where dozens of emergency services staff were waiting.

Latest pictures: Several boats travel to scene as bodies found

Bodies reportedly found behind mattresses.

According to reports in Italian media, the two bodies were found inside the boat behind two mattresses.

They are the second and third victims to be found, after chef Recaldo Thomas was recovered from the water on Monday.

Several boats leave Porticello to go to sinking site

Several boats have left the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking.

They left the port at the same time shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Source says one of the two bodies is that of a ‘heavily built man’

Rescue teams have not confirmed the identities of the drowned people, who were recovered after a three-day search operation involving specialist divers.

A source has said that one of the bodies was that of a “heavily built man”.

Six passengers had been missing after the boat capsized, including British billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer ; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Survivors reportedly turn down counselling

Survivors of the Bayesian reportedly have turned down psychological support.

Salvo Cocina, president of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told MailOnline: “We wanted to make sure that everyone was offered every kind of help they might need, but no-one from the passengers or the crew accepted counselling.”

He added that they still hoped the six people are alive, saying:“The operation is not complete – we don’t differentiate between rescue and recovery in these circumstances, because the people are still in the boat.

“The divers have not yet reached the cabins, so we have not yet given up hope that there may be air pockets in their keeping them alive.”

Breaking: Two bodies found inside Bayesian yacht

Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily have found the bodies of two of the six passengers who were missing, a source close to the matter said.

Divers with head torches seen entering the water

Divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear at the site of the shipwreck on Wednesday afternoon.

A police boat and divers were also seen entering the water.

The boats spent a short time at the scene before heading back to the nearby port.

A helicopter hovered overhead.

CCTV footage shows the moment missing tycoon Mike Lynch’s Bayesian yacht is engulfed by storm

CCTV footage has shown the moment a storm off the coast of Sicily engulfed the Bayesian luxury yacht carrying 22 people.

The superyacht was moored around half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

The tall mast of the craft can be seen in the black-and-white footage, as rain appears to be lashing down in the foreground.

CCTV footage shows the moment Bayesian yacht is engulfed by storm

Who was on board the Bayesian yacht and who is still missing?

Italian authorities fear British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five others he was holidaying with are trapped inside his yacht which sank in a tornado .

As the desperate search for the missing continues in Sicily for a second day, Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the working theory of officials is that they were inside. He said search and rescue efforts are yet to deliver any results.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Who was on board the Bayesian yacht and who is still missing

Helicopter drafted in to help with search

A helicopter had been drafted in to help the search effort, as divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear.

A police boat and divers were also seen entering the water on Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews from the Vigili del Fuoco said they have been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.

Industry experts ‘at a loss’ to explain sudden sinking

Experts have been at a loss to explain how a large luxury vessel, presumed to have top-class fittings and safety features, could have sunk within minutes, as recounted by witnesses. Another yacht anchored next to it was unharmed by the tempest.

The Bayesian, which was owned by Lynch’s wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020. It had the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres, according to its makers.

Its captain James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander who survived the shipwreck, was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean, his brother Mark told The New Zealand Herald.

Efforts to enter yacht have been hampered by ‘very confined’ spaces

Efforts to locate the missing people have been hampered by “very confined” spaces inside the wreck, fire department spokesman Luca Cari has said.

The Italian coast guard said it was using a remotely operated vehicle to inspect the seabed and take underwater pictures.

An upgraded underwater drone has also been deployed at the site of the wreckage.

Floorplan of sunken yacht shows guest cabins

A floorplan of the sunken Bayesian yacht shows that a number of guest cabins were situated in the middle of the boar, between the technical area and crew area.

Specialist divers are now trying to access the area, to explore whether the six missing tourists became trapped inside.

How sailors can use air pockets to survive in capsized boats for days

Mike Lynch and daughter among missing after yacht sinks: What we know about disaster - and 'alarming' potential cause

The British-flagged luxury vessel named Bayesian was carrying 22 people when it got into difficulty off the coast of Sicily. Seven bodies have now been recovered from the wreckage.

News reporter @samuelosborne93

Friday 23 August 2024 12:24, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Seven bodies have been found after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Twenty-two people were on board the vessel named Bayesian when it got into difficulty in the early hours of Monday, with 15 people rescued.

Here's what we know about the sinking of the luxury vessel so far.

Follow latest updates on the superyacht sinking

What might have caused the sinking?

The British-flagged luxury vessel, named Bayesian, capsized at around 4.30am local time on Monday morning off Palermo, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.

It sank in as little as 60 seconds with 22 people on board, 12 passengers and a crew of 10, according to the Italian coastguard.

Waterspouts, essentially tornados that form over water, were seen as powerful winds battered the area overnight, local media said.

The yacht may have sunk faster with all the doors open due to the hot weather, Sailing Today magazine editor Sam Jefferson has said.

"I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that," he said.

Official pictures show air conditioning units in several of the rooms, however, which could counter the suggestion open windows caused the vessel to sink faster.

The huge mast is also likely to have played a role, he added.

What are waterspouts?

Waterspouts typically occur during thunderstorms and can develop very rapidly, within minutes.

Their spin generally reaches wind speeds between 75-200mph, but can reach as high as 300mph.

They can travel at about 10-20mph typically but can reach greater speeds, making them difficult to avoid - especially in something as slow-moving as a yacht.

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, called the reports of a tornado or waterspout "rare" and "quite alarming".

"The vessel was at anchor in a recognised anchorage," Mr Schanck said.

"Depending on wind direction and the state of the sea, this informs the captain whether it is a safe area to anchor or not. There was nothing that was too concerning, for my eye. All in all, the captain used the information they had to make a safe call."

Who owns the yacht?

The yacht belonged to the family of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. He was confirmed to have died after rescuers found his body on Thursday. Mr Lynch was on holiday with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who is still missing, and his wife Angela Bacares, who was rescued.

Mr Lynch, 59, was known as the " British Bill Gates " and has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case.

In June, a US jury cleared him of all charges, which were related to the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP). The yacht trip is believed to have been a celebration of the end of Mr Lynch's legal troubles.

HP accused him of deliberately overstating the value of the company before it was acquired by the American tech giant.

Mr Lynch was extradited to the US to face trial in May last year and spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco as he awaited trial on 17 charges of conspiracy and wire fraud brought by the US Department of Justice - which were later reduced to 15 charges. He always denied any wrongdoing and was acquitted.

Read more: Lynch's co-defendant dies days before yacht sinking

Who was on board when the boat sank?

The passengers were largely British and American, with crew members were from New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada.

Charlotte Golunski was among the Britons rescued. Her LinkedIn profile says she is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm Invoke Capital and has worked there since 2012.

Speaking after the ordeal, Ms Golunski told Italian media that she lost her daughter Sofia for "two seconds" amid the "fury" of the sea but was able to retrieve her. She said she held the infant above the waves until the lifeboat was ready.

"Many people screamed. Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us were able to get on board," she told ANSA.

The girl's father James Emsley also survived, according to Sicily's civil protection agency.

Also on board were Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley, his wife Judy Bloomer, a top US lawyer Chris Morvillo, who worked on Mr Lynch's criminal case, and his wife Neda Morvillo. Divers confirmed on Thursday that their bodies had been recovered.

The yacht's captain James Cutfield survived, along with South African crew members Leah Randall and Katja Chicken.

Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef who was working on the boat, was the first to be found dead, the Italian Coastguard confirmed to Sky News.

During rescue efforts, divers saw "corpses through the portholes" of the wreck as they recovered the body of a man at a depth of 50m (164ft), according to Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily.

What do we know about the vessel?

The Bayesian is owned by a company controlled by Mr Lynch's wife.

It was known for its unusual 72.3m (246ft) single mast - one of the world's tallest made of aluminium - and shared its name with the statistical method Mr Lynch's Autonomy software was based on.

It was built by Italian company Perini Navi in 2008 and last refitted in 2020.

It was listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week, according to online charter sites.

The luxury vessel , which was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons, could accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites.

It won a string of awards for its design, according to online specialist yacht sites.

Mr Schanck, of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said the vessel would have been equipped with "high standard" life-saving appliances and radio communications.

He added the yacht would have met all international standards and UK Maritime Coastguard Agency regulations before its voyage.

It was previously named Salute, or "health" in Italian, when it flew under a Dutch flag. Its minimalist interior featured light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions on charter sites.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

What were its last movements?

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking site VesselFinder.

The Bayesian previously travelled to other parts of Sicily before its last sighting off the coast of the port of Porticello.

On Sunday, the boat was seen off the coast of Cefalu before it travelled towards Porticello, MarineTraffic data shows.

In the days before, the yacht travelled around four of the Aeolian islands, just north of Sicily.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the sinking.

Related Topics

• Superyacht sinking

Advertisement

Supported by

Questions for Investigators Trying to Unravel Mystery of Luxury Yacht’s Sinking

The investigators searching for answers about the shipwreck, leaving seven dead, face questions about extreme weather and possible human error or problems with the yacht itself.

• Share full article

By Alan Yuhas

More than 180 feet long, with a mast towering about 240 feet and a keel that could be lowered for greater stability, the Bayesian luxury yacht did not, in the eyes of its maker, have the vulnerabilities of a ship that would easily sink.

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

But the $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including the British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Mr. Lynch’s friends and a member of the crew. Fifteen people, including the captain, escaped on a lifeboat.

Mr. Lynch had invited family, friends and part of his legal team on a cruise in the Mediterranean to celebrate his acquittal in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

The Italian authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation, searching for answers from the survivors, the manufacturer and the wreck itself. They face a range of questions and possible factors.

An ‘earthquake’ in the sky?

When the Bayesian sank around 4 a.m. on Aug. 19, the waters in its area, about half a mile off the Sicilian port of Porticello, were transformed by an extremely sudden and violent storm, according to fishermen, a captain in the area and meteorologists.

But what kind of storm is still a mystery, compounded by the fact that a sailing schooner anchored nearby did not have its own disaster. Also unclear is whether the crew was aware that the Italian authorities had issued general warnings about bad weather the night before.

Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby passenger ship, said he’d had to steady his ship during “really violent” winds . During the storm, he said, the Bayesian seemed to disappear behind his ship.

Severe lightning and strong gusts were registered by the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, according to Attilio Di Diodato, its director. “It was very intense and brief in duration,” he said.

The yacht, he said, had most likely been hit by a fierce downburst — a blast of powerful wind surging down during a thunderstorm. His agency put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about possible storms.

Locals have said the winds “felt like an earthquake.” A fisherman in Porticello said that he had seen a flare go off in the early-morning hours. His brother ventured to the site once the weather had calmed about 20 minutes later, he said, finding only floating cushions.

The Italian authorities have so far declined to say whether investigators had seen any structural damage to the hull or other parts of the ship.

Open hatches or doors?

The boat executive, Mr. Costantino, has argued that the Bayesian was an extremely safe vessel that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing. His company, the Italian Sea Group, in 2022 bought the yacht’s manufacturer, Perini Navi, which launched the ship in 2008.

Mr. Costantino 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, would be 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.

At a news conference on Saturday, almost a week after the sinking, investigators said the yacht had sunk at an angle , with its stern — where the heavy engine was — having gone down first. The wreck was found lying on its right side at the bottom of a bay, about 165 feet deep.

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

Water pouring into open hatches or doors could have contributed to the sinking, experts say, but that on its own may not account for the speed at which such a large boat vanished underwater.

Asked about the hatches at the news conference, the authorities declined to comment on whether they had been found open at the wreck.

The authorities have also not specified whether the boat had been anchored, whether it was under power at the time or whether its sails had been unfurled.

A retracted keel?

The Bayesian had a keel — the fin-like structure beneath a boat that can help stabilize it — that could be retracted or extended, according to its manufacturer. On some yachts, keels can be raised to let the large vessel dock in shallower water, and extended downward to help keep a boat level.

But like the hatches, the status of the keel alone may not explain why a large ship sank with such precipitous speed. Investigators have not disclosed what divers may have seen at the wreck, aside from saying divers had faced obstacles like furnishings and electrical wiring in tight quarters. Officials want to raise the wreck to better examine it, a process that may take weeks.

Human error?

Ambrogio Cartosio, the prosecutor in charge of the case, said at the news conference that it was “plausible” crimes had been committed, but that investigators had not zeroed in on any potential suspects.

“There could be responsibilities of the captain only,” he said. “There could be responsibilities of the whole crew. There could be responsibilities of the boat makers. Or there could be responsibilities of those who were in charge of surveilling the boat.”

It remains unclear what kind of emergency training or preparation took place before the disaster, or what kind of coordination there was during it. So far, none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened the night the ship sank.

Prosecutors said they want to ask more questions of the captain and crew, who have been in a Sicilian hotel with other survivors. They said that neither alcohol nor drug tests had been performed on crew members, and that they have been allowed to leave Italy.

Prosecutors also said they were also investigating why the captain, an experienced sailor, left the sinking boat while some passengers were still on board.

Besides possible manslaughter charges, the authorities are investigating the possibility of a negligently caused shipwreck.

The bodies of five passengers were found in one cabin, on the left side of the yacht, the authorities said. The five were most likely trying to flee to the higher side of the boat and were probably sleeping when the boat started to sink, they said.

IN PHOTOS | Rescue efforts after yacht with 22 aboard sinks

Luxury yacht, struck by unexpectedly violent storm, sank off sicilian village in southern italy, social sharing.