The Bayesian superyacht crew member who was on watch when the vessel sank a fortnight ago in a storm off Sicily has described how he woke the skipper when wind speed hit 20 knots.
Italian news agency Ansa reports that Matthew Griffiths (22) told Italian prosecutors that the skipper, James Cutfield, then ordered that everyone be woken up.
“I then stored away the pillows and plants, closed the windows of the sitting room in the bow and some hatches,”he is reported to have said.
Griffiths described how the superyacht, which had been at anchor, “tilted and we fell into the water”.
“We were then able to climb back on and we tried to save those we could,” he said.
Ansa news agency says that as the boat titled, they were walking on the side of the hull and trying to rescue those they could. He said Cutfield rescued Charlotte Golunski (36), a guest of owner Mike Lynch on board, and her one-year-old daughter.
Seven people, including Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, died in the sinking. 15 of the 22 on board survived, including Lynch’s wife.
Griffiths and two of his colleagues, the skipper James Cutfield and the yacht’s engineer, Tim Parker Eaton, are under investigation by Italian authorities, and a separate inquiry is being undertaken by the British Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
Ansa reports that Italian prosecutors believe an “extremely rapid downburst” preceded the sinking, which is said to have occurred 16 minutes after the storm hit the vessel.
Film footage of the keel confirms it was raised, and Italian newspaper La Repubblica has reported watertight doors were not closed.
Plans to raise the superyacht from 50 metres of water may take several months to complete.
