Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

RBC Brewin Dolphin proudly supporting Afloat and Irish Boating

Weather Not Bad Enough To Sink Bayesian Superyacht - Preliminary Report

2nd May 2026
“Fatal
Fatal Squall? Superyacht Bayesian pictured before its sinking off Sicily in August 2024, where investigators now say weather alone was not enough to cause the capsize that claimed seven lives

The continuing investigation into the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian has found that the weather was not bad enough to cause its capsize.

Sky News reports that the sinking, which claimed seven lives including that of its owner Mike Lynch in August 2024 off Sicily, may have been caused by other factors.

These include claims of improper actions by the crew, their underestimation of the weather, and certain safety devices not being activated properly.

Experts commissioned by Italian prosecutors have found that the sinking came after "little more than a squall, a sudden increase in wind speed that precedes thunderstorms and downpours", which should have been manageable for the crew.

The investigators have also raised the possibility of liability on the part of the superyacht's builder, Sky News reports.

Mr Lynch was on board the yacht with 10 crew and 11 guests - including his daughter, who died, and his wife, Angela Bacares, who was rescued.

The Bayesian was raised to the surface as part of the investigation last year.

Read Sky News here

Published in Superyachts
Afloat.ie Team

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button