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77M SILVER FAST

Is the forth and most advanced ecofuel-efficient vessel in the ground-breaking silver series. Achieving top speeds of more than 27 knots and a range of 4500 nm at 18 kts.

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Silver Fast

• Amenities & Toys
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SILVER FAST YACHT CHARTER

77m  /  252'7   silveryachts   2015.

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Cabin Configuration

Special Features:

• Sophisticated interior design
• Beautiful winter garden
• Sauna and steam room
• Generously proportioned beach club
• sleek and dynamic hull
• exciting range of water sport toys and tenders
• Fully-equipped gym

The marriage of high performance and effortless style, superyacht Silver Fast offers a truly exceptional charter experience

The 77.1m/252'11" 'Silver Fast' motor yacht built by the Australian shipyard SilverYachts is available for charter for up to 12 guests in 8 cabins. This multi-award winning yacht features interior styling by Vain Interiors.

Built in 2015, Silver Fast is designed for exquisite indoor/outdoor living and boasts voluminous interior and exterior spaces across several decks: ideal for bronzing, lounging or entertaining. She is equipped with a beauty salon, spa, beach club and gym.

Guest Accommodation

Silver Fast offers guest accommodation for up to 12 guests in 8 suites comprising a master suite, three VIP cabins, one double cabin and three twin cabins. There are 11 beds in total, including 5 doubles and 6 singles. She is also capable of carrying up to 17 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht charter experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Keeping comfortable and entertained on Silver Fast is easy thanks to the available amenities, notably a beauty salon featuring all of the facilities required for a number of different beauty treatments. Take a break from a busy itinerary in the steam room and in addition kick back and relax in the well-appointed spa. Revive yourself after an intense workout in the sauna and make your day truly exceptional at the beach club. A gym with all the latest equipment is available for a good work out plus sit back with a glass of champagne in the deck jacuzzi.

Silver Fast benefits from some excellent features to improve your charter, notably Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to stay connected at all times, should you wish. You can stay comfortable on board whatever the weather, with air conditioning during your charter.

Performance & Range

Built with a aluminium hull and aluminium superstructure, she benefits from a semi-displacement hull to provide exceptional seakeeping and impressive speeds. Powered by twin MTU engines, she comfortably cruises at 25 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 29 knots with a range of up to 4,500 nautical miles from her 104,000 litre fuel tanks at 18 knots. An advanced stabilisation system on board reduces the side-to-side roll of the yacht and promises guests exceptional comfort levels at anchor or when underway.

Onboard Silver Fast has a range of toys and accessories to keep you and your guests entertained on the water throughout your stay. Take to the sea on the Jet Skis offering you power and control on the water. Also there are towable toys offering fun and adventure. Additionally, there are waterskis that are hugely entertaining whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro. If that isn't enough Silver Fast also features a Kite Surfer, wakeboards, paddleboards and snorkelling equipment. Silver Fast has a 7.4m/24'3" Custom Tender to transfer you from ship to shore.

Silver Fast offers you and your guests the perfect platform from which to enjoy your next luxury yacht charter. Please enquire for details of her summer and forthcoming winter cruising grounds and availability.

Luxury motor yacht Silver Fast is one of a kind, offering world-class onboard amenities coupled with an overflowing toy box full of the latest water sports gear for unforgettable yacht charters wherever you are.

TESTIMONIALS

There are currently no testimonials for Silver Fast, please provide .

Stand Out Features

Transitional dining

Eat indoors or outdoors with innovative wrap around glass doors

Foredeck helipad

Explore every destination from the foredeck helipad, suitable for an EC135

Relaxing spa facilities

Recouperate in style with a sauna, steam room and massage room.

Silver Fast Photos

Amenities & Entertainment

For your relaxation and entertainment Silver Fast has the following facilities, for more details please speak to your yacht charter broker.

Silver Fast is reported to be available to Charter with the following recreation facilities:

• 2 x 7.4m  /  24'3 Custom Tender Volvo-Penta 220 HP engine

For a full list of all available amenities & entertainment facilities, or price to hire additional equipment please contact your broker.

Silver Fast Awards & Nominations

• Monaco Yacht Show Awards 2015 The Finest New Yacht of the MYS Winner
• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2016 Exterior Design & Styling Award – Motor Yacht over 500GT Finalist
• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2016 Naval Architecture Award – Displacement Motor Yacht Finalist
• The World Superyacht Awards 2016 Displacement Motor Yachts of 500GT to 1,299GT Finalist
• The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2017 Power Yacht (over 60m) Winner
• The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2016 Power Yacht (over 60m) Winner
• Asia Boating Award 2015 Best Worldwide Custom Built Yacht Winner
• International Superyacht Society Awards 2016 Best Power 65m+ Nomination
• Asia Boating Award 2015 Best Yacht Design of the Year Finalist
• + shortlist

For a full list of all available amenities & entertainment facilities, or price to hire additional equipment please contact your broker.

'Silver Fast' Charter Rates & Destinations

Summer Season

May - September

€625,000 p/week + expenses Approx $670,000

High Season

€675,000 p/week + expenses Approx $723,500

Cruising Regions

Please enquire .

Winter Season

October - April

Charter Silver Fast

To charter this luxury yacht contact your charter broker , or we can help you.

To charter this luxury yacht contact your charter broker or

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SEASONAL CHARTER RATES

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SILVER FAST Yacht – Awesome $75M Superyacht

The yacht is at the forefront of technology, design, and luxury with its striking aluminum exterior, designed by Espen Oeino.

She is a 2 Silver II model from Silver Yachts and features interior design from Vain Interiors. She was launched in 2015 from the Australian shipyard and continues to be a cutting-edge yacht on the water.

SILVER FAST yacht interior

SILVER FAST yacht features an interior design from Vain Interiors , in a contemporary design with luxurious leathers, opulent fabrics, and wood paneling.

She has accommodations for up to 18 guests in 8 staterooms, with an owner’s apartment, three VIP guests suites, one double guest cabin, two twin cabins, plus a Pullman berth. There are accommodations for 16 crew members.

The owner’s deck has a massive stateroom with a separate salon and outdoor area to enjoy. The VIP cabins are also on the main deck, and all have ensuite bathrooms.

The main deck features a lounge and dining areas for guests to enjoy relaxation time and meals together.

There is a theatre room on this deck where guests can enjoy a movie night after a fun day of adventuring on the waters.

A winter garden is also located on this deck. The SILVER FAST yacht also features an impressively sized beach club for the perfect indoor/outdoor relaxation area.

There is also a touch-and-go helipad on the upper deck. Adding to the luxury is a massage and beauty treatment room and a sauna.

The impressive features continue with a customized eight-person jacuzzi, a bar, and a lounge on the sundeck. These features are perfect for experiencing the most luxurious super yachting lifestyle.

The fun continues in the water with Seadoo jet skies, underwater scooters, wakeboards, scuba diving, snorkeling equipment, and many towable water toys.

The tender garage is on the main deck and features two custom tenders that are only luxury.

The exterior of the SILVER FAST yacht was penned by the impressive Superyacht designer Espen Oeino .

She was built by the Australian shipyard Hanseatic Marine, now known as Silver Yachts .

Naval architecture was a combined design of Espen Oeino and Silver Yachts. She is a 2 Silver II model, a signature yacht from the Australian shipyard.

SILVER FAST was launched in 2015 and was the most advanced in the Silver Yachts series.

Her exterior is striking on the water with her silver hue, as she has an aluminum superstructure and hull.

Specifications

The SILVER FAST yacht is a 77m superyacht with a 10m beam and a 2.56m draft. She has a volume of 952 gross tons, which is a low displacement for a superyacht of her capacity.

The owner describes the build of SILVER FAST as a bit like a Porsche or Ferrari with a small body, a lot of technology, and not a lot of weight.

She features 2 MTU engines which give her a maximum speed of 27 knots.

She has a cruising speed of 25 knots and a range of 4000 nautical miles. She is MCA compliant and is a Lloyd’s register class yacht. The $75 million yacht has an annual running cost of $7.5 million.

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The $85 Million Silver Fast Superyacht Is the Fastest Yacht of Its Kind

Beyond its impressive speed and range, the yacht is replete with stunning features and amenities…, michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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The 252-foot Silveryachts superyacht Silver Fast recently completed its maiden voyage, traveling 3,200 nautical miles from Perth to Sri Lanka. The yacht, built by the Australian shipyard Silveryachts, achieved an average cruise speed of 17 knots during the journey, though in ideal conditions the vessel can reach speeds as fast as 27 knots under power of its twin MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines. The shipyard says that this makes Silver Fast the fastest aluminum yacht of its size utilizing conventional propulsion. As further illustrated by its recent crossing from Australia to Europe in 21 days, Silver Fast is built for long-distant hauls. The shipyard says that the yacht has a range of 6,000 nautical miles when cruising at 14 knots.

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With the yacht’s considerable size and sleek, svelte profile, the silver-hulled beauty was certainly one of the most noteworthy launches at the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show . The Monaco-based naval architect and designer Espen Øino gave the yacht an almost stealth look, but one with a magnificent sense of elegance and scale.

Silver Fast ’s interior, from the drawing board of the German design firm Vain Interiors, is also elegant and expansive. The owner’s suite includes a private lounge and large deck. Three VIP staterooms are on the main deck, while one double and three more twin cabins are on the lower deck. Beautiful anigre paneling and other wood detailing define many of the staterooms. The yacht is designed for 18 guests, with additional sleeping quarters for 18 crew.

One of the exterior highlights is the sundeck, which features an outdoor cinema and a glass-front, eight-person spa. The large beach club at the transom includes plenty of room for deck chairs and for launching water toys; an interior with a full spa area (a sauna, steam room, gym, and massage room); and a beauty salon. The aft deck also has a “winter garden”—a wraparound glass enclosure that allows the owner and up to 20 guests to dine outdoors, but in a space that can be heated or air-conditioned.

The yacht’s two 24-foot custom tenders, stored in a forward section of the hull with lifting gullwings, are designed for all-weather running. The bow helipad is suitable for helicopters that extend to the Augusta 109 or Airbus EC135. According to its sale broker, Burgess , the asking price for Silver Fast is about $85 million. ( silveryachts.com ; for sale through Burgess, burgessyachts.com )

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Silveryachts – Silver Fast completed its maiden voyage with a speed record

Silver Fast, a 252 feet superyacht built by Silveryacths, recently completed its maiden voyage, traveling 3,200 nautical miles from Perth, Australia to Sri Lanka.

Silver Fast, a 252 feet superyacht built by Silveryacths, recently completed its maiden voyage, traveling 3,200 nautical miles from Perth, Australia to Sri Lanka. The vessel built by the Australian shipyard Silveryachts achieved an average cruising speed of 17 knots. On ideal conditions, the yacht can reach 27 knots under power of its twin MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines. According to its builder, Silver Fast is the fastest aluminum yacht of its size using conventional propulsion. This is a vessel built for long hauls, and Silver Fast has proved this crossing from Australia to Europe in 21 days. The shipyard says that the yacht has a range of 6,000 nautical miles when cruising at 14 knots.

Silver Fast has a considerable size with its 252 feet (77 meters), but it has an even delicate profile. This vessel has turned a lot of heads at Monaco Yacht Show in 2015. The design is signed by Monaco-based naval architect and designer Espen Oeino. He gave the vessel an almost stealth look, but with great sense of elegance and style.

The interior came from the drawing board of the German design firm Vain Interiors. It boasts an elegant and luxurious theme. The owner’s suite includes a private lounge and large deck. There are no less than three VIP staterooms on the main deck, and four cabins on the lower deck. The yacht is designed to host 18 guests, and has additional sleeping quarters for 18 crew members.

It also features some interesting exterior highlights like an outdoor cinema and an eight-person SPA. The beach club from the stern has plenty of room for deck chairs and launching water toys. The interior of the beach club has a full SPA area with steam room and gym plus a beauty center.

The yacht has also two 24-feet custom tenders, stored in a forward section of the hull with lifting gullwings. The bow features a helipad that is suitable for a range of helicopters that extend from the Augusta 109 or EuroCopter 135. Silver Fast is brokered by Burgess, and the asking price is $85 million. A small price for such a beauty!

SILVER FAST Hanseatic Marine / Silver Yachts | From EUR€ 625,000/wk

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• SILVER FAST

SILVER FAST Hanseatic Marine / Silver Yachts | From EUR€ 625,000 /wk

With launch in 2015, the impressive 77m motor yacht Silver Fast (ex Suvretta) is a magnificent semi-displacement vessel, built by the well known Australian shipyard, Hanseatic Marine, now known as 'Silver Yachts'. Silver Fast has exterior by bespoke Espen Oeino, with interior by Vain Interiors. She offers accommodation for 12 guests.

NOTABLE FEATURES: ~ Head-turning exterior design ~ Top speed of 27 knots ~ Winter garden ~ Spa ~ Sauna ~ Gym ~ Massage room ~ Beauty salon ~ Beach club ~ Jacuzzi for eight persons

The contemporary interior of the yacht decor boasts luxurious leather, lavish fabrics, wood panelling and other superb elements.

The main deck salon offers lounge and dining areas. On this deck, there are also VIP cabins with, each with an ensuite. The galley is on the port side, as well as the day head, stairway and companionway starboard. Guests can enjoy favourite movies in the theatre room and relax in the winter garden also located on the main deck.

Video of Motor Yacht SILVER FAST

The owner's deck features a massive stateroom with his and her bathroom facilities, separate salon and outdoor area. The lower deck aft hosts a vast beach club, gymnasium, massage and beauty treatment rooms, and sauna. Moreover, this striking vessel boasts a customised 8-person jacuzzi pool, bar and lounge on the sundeck.

SILVER FAST Specifications

The tender garage is located on the main deck and is spacious enough to store two 7.4-metre custom built tenders.

All-aluminium superyacht Silver Fast is driven by twin MTU 16V 4000 M90 diesel engines, reaching an amazing top speed of 29 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots. She features a beam of 10m (32'81'') and a maximum draught of 2,6m (8'5''). Silver Fast is built to Lloyds classification as well as the Red Ensign Groups new Passenger Yacht Code (PY Code).

Yacht Charter Accommodation

Accommodation aboard Silver Fast yacht is provided in an amazing Owner's apartment with lounge and large private deck, in addition to three double VIP guest suites, one double guest cabin, two twin guest cabins, plus pullman and one twin guest cabin.

Charter Amenities and Extras

Tenders & Toys: ~2 x 7.3 m HME Custom Launch ~Seadoo jetskis ~Seadoo underwater scooters ~Wakeboards ~Waterskis ~Kite Surf ~Paddleboards ~Scuba Diving ~Snorkeling gear ~Towables

Charter Yacht Disclaimer

This document is not contractual. The yacht charters and their particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed. CharterWorld Limited does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information and/or images displayed. All information is subject to change without notice and is without warrantee. A professional CharterWorld yacht charter consultant will discuss each charter during your charter selection process. Starting prices are shown in a range of currencies for a one-week charter, unless otherwise marked. Exact pricing and other details will be confirmed on the particular charter contract. Just follow the "reserve this yacht charter" link for your chosen yacht charter or contact us and someone from the CharterWorld team will be in touch shortly.

SILVER FAST Enquiry

"People who charter a yacht tend to want as many experiences as they can in a short space of time. It’s essentially a vacation in compressed format, so the yacht needs to collaborate with you in that. You need lots of different places to eat on board, so every day offers something different. The yacht also needs to make getting ashore easy, for meals on the beach and excursions, so it feels like you never do the same thing twice." - Espen Øino

77M FAST SEMI-DISPLACEMENT SUPERYACHT | From EUR€ 625,000/wk

66M VITRUVIUS YACHT | From EUR€ 623,000/wk

MINERVA | From EUR€ 630,000/wk

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Final Body Is Recovered From Yacht That Sank Off Sicily

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was on board a yacht that was hit by a storm and went down in the early hours on Monday.

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By Emma Bubola and Elisabetta Povoledo

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Elisabetta Povoledo from Pallanza, Italy.

For nearly a week after a violent storm sent a luxury yacht to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Sicily, Italian scuba divers plunged deep underwater, moving through ropes and fallen objects inside the yacht in a desperate search for the six people missing.

On Friday, the recovery of the body of Hannah Lynch, 18, put an end to the wrenching search and to the slim hopes that any of the missing people might have survived.

Ms. Lynch, the daughter of the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who also died in the yacht’s sinking, was the last person to be formally unaccounted for since Monday after tragedy struck a group that had been celebrating her father’s acquittal in a high-profile fraud case.

There were 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board the 180-foot vessel, the Bayesian, when it was hit by a storm and went down about 4.30 a.m. on Monday, the boat’s management company said on Friday.

Fifteen survived.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was found on Monday, a few hours after a downpour hit the northwestern coast of Sicily, near the port of Porticello, where the yacht had been anchored.

But it took several days to recover the bodies of the six passengers who were apparently trapped inside the yacht: Mr. Lynch and Ms. Lynch; Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

On Friday, a round of applause could be heard from the firefighter’s tent set up on the dock in Porticello after the last body was pulled out in what the corps described as a “complex” search operation at a depth of about 165 feet. The firefighters said they had made 123 immersions into the sea to try to retrieve the bodies.

The body bag was then loaded onto an ambulance. A local man had left a small wooden cross on the rocks in front of the dock where the bodies were brought ashore.

Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among those who managed to reach the safety of a raft. They were rescued by a sailing schooner that had been bobbing about 150 yards from the yacht.

In a statement, the family thanked the search teams and said that it was enduring a “time of unspeakable grief.”

“The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends,” the statement added.

As prosecutors from the nearby city of Termini Imerese began conducting interviews with the survivors and possible witnesses, the crew and passengers of the Bayesian have been confined to a local hotel, where the news media have been denied access.

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, said on Thursday that the survivors had turned down the psychological assistance his department had offered to them.

In Porticello, the sprawling presence of rescue services made a haunting backdrop for an otherwise tranquil port town. People sunbathed and ate ricotta-filled pastries, and stores selling sandals and dried fruit opened as normal, while coast guard and firefighting vessels came and went from the shore, taking scuba divers out to the shipwreck.

Other reminders of the tragedy could be seen along the coast, among palm trees and ice cream shops, with groups of onlookers staring out at the sea, now tranquil and flat.

Local and national news organizations have complained that prosecutors have not issued a statement or held a news conference. Prosecutors may shed more light on the yacht’s sinking when they hold a news conference on Saturday.

The marine accident investigation branch of the British transportation ministry was also looking into the shipwreck of the vessel, which was registered in Britain.

One of the major questions is what caused the boat to sink: Was it the fault of the boat maker, of the crew or of a powerful act of nature — or some combination of the three? None of those who were onboard the Bayesian have spoken publicly.

The luxury yacht, built by the Italian manufacturer Perini Navi and launched in 2008, had the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world, according to its makers.

Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought Perini Navi, has been assertive in defending the design and construction of the yacht, saying that the Bayesian would be “unsinkable” if the proper procedures were followed.

But yacht design experts have cautioned that the lesson of the Titanic, the ocean liner that sank on its 1912 maiden voyage, showed that no vessel, no matter how robust, was worthy of that label.

Nautilus International, a maritime-focused labor union, criticized any implication that the crew had been at fault, especially at this stage. In a statement , the union’s general secretary, Mark Dickinson, said, “Experience tells us that maritime tragedies are always the result of multiple, interconnected factors,” and he urged people to refrain from drawing any conclusions until a thorough investigation had been carried out.

The investigation into the causes will take months, prosecutors said.

Michael J. de la Merced contributed reporting.

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

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo

Superyacht maker's CEO: Bayesian's crew made an 'incredible mistake'

The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was recovered Thursday from his family's superyacht that sank off the coast of Italy after it encountered a sudden and powerful storm, authorities said.

After four bodies were recovered from the wreck Wednesday, Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, remains the only person unaccounted for, Massimo Mariani, of Italy's interior ministry, told Reuters. Her body may have been swept out to sea, Mariani said.

It could take divers more time to find her body because of the difficulties of accessing the sunken ship more than 160 feet down, said Luca Cari, a fire brigade spokesperson. Rescuers faced a challenging task in scouring extremely deep and narrow spaces around the boat.

Giovanni Costantino, the CEO of Italian ship manufacturer Perini, which made the ship in 2008, told Reuters on Thursday, "The boat suffered a series of indescribable, unreasonable errors."

He said the crew made an "incredible mistake" in not preparing for the storm, even though it was announced in a shipping forecast earlier. "This is the mistake that cries out for vengeance," he said.

Lynch, 59, was best known as the co-founder of Britain’s largest enterprise software, Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. He had invited his friends on the yacht to celebrate his acquittal in June of fraud charges related to the sale of Autonomy.

The Bayesian, a 184-feet-long British-registered sailboat, went down just before sunrise Monday off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, where it was anchored when a strong storm swept across the area. Of the 22 passengers and crew members on board, 15, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were pulled from the water Monday, and several were hospitalized. Divers then recovered the body of Ricardo Thomas, the yacht's chef, near the ship.

Who were among the missing?

An exhaustive search ensued for six missing people: Lynch and his daughter; Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Jonathan Bloomer was a character witness at Lynch’s fraud trial, and Chris Morvillo, an American citizen, was part of the team that represented Lynch.

Hannah, the younger of Lynch's two daughters, was preparing to study English literature at Oxford University, according to the Sunday Times.

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Investigation opened into the tragedy

Local prosecutors have opened an investigation into the disaster and will hold a press conference on Saturday.

Costantino said there were no errors in the ship's construction or design. "It went down because it took on water. From where, the investigators will tell," he said.

The ship, owned by Lynch's wife, Bacares, was constructed in accordance with international maritime standards and commercially certified by the U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, according to Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council. It was refitted for the second time in 2020.

Experts have pointed to  a waterspout, a tornado over the water that can travel up to 120 mph, that formed during the storm, as well as the weight of the ship's mast, one of the largest in the world, as possible factors in its sinking.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci , USA TODAY ; Reuters

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How sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily unfolded

One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank in freak weather conditions off the coast of Sicily.

The 56m British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people - 12 passengers and 10 crew - when a heavy storm that created waterspouts struck early on Monday.

Fifteen people were rescued and a search operation for those unaccounted for - who include the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch - is continuing.

Here is what we know about the tragedy so far and how it unfolded.

What happened to the yacht?

The Bayesian was struck by a sudden and powerful storm in the early hours of Monday morning, witnesses say.

It was reportedly anchored to the sea bed outside the harbour at Porticello, a small fishing village to the east of Palermo, when what the Italian coastguard described as a "violent storm" hit.

The storm was so fierce that it caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air and mist, to appear over the sea.

The vessel disappeared beneath the water at about 05:00 local time (04:00 BST).

A doctor treating survivors said the ship "capsized within a few minutes".

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• 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea' - yacht survivor
• Who are the missing and rescued?
• What might have caused yacht to sink
• Divers battle 10-minute dive window and debris in yacht search

Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the 72m (236ft) aluminium mast to break in half and the ship to lose its balance and sink.

However, divers on the search and rescue team have said the ship was "practically intact" on the seabed, raising questions as to whether the mast was broken.

The ship's unusually tall mast may have contributed to its sinking, according to Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the mast acted almost like a sail in the strong wind "especially with it being so high".

The extreme winds could have caught the mast and pushed the yacht over, he said.

Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, said after the storm had passed, the crew noticed the yacht that had been behind them had disappeared.

"We saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position, and we found this life raft drifting," he told Reuters.

His crew took on board some survivors, including three who were seriously injured.

Another witness, Fabio Cefalù, captain of a trawler, said he was about to go out on a fishing trip when he saw flashes of lightning so he stayed in the harbour.

"At about 04:15 we saw a flare in the sea," he said, according to the EVN news agency reports.

"We waited for this waterspout to pass. After 10 minutes we went out to the sea and we saw cushions and all the rest of the boat [that had sunk], and everything which was on the deck, at sea. However, we did not see any people in the sea.”

Another fisherman described seeing the yacht sinking "with my own eyes".

Speaking to the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, the witness said he was at home when the tornado hit.

"Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very big," he said.

Shortly afterwards he went down to the Santa Nicolicchia bay in Porticello to get a better look at what was happening.

He added: "The boat was still floating, then all of a sudden it disappeared. I saw it sinking with my own eyes."

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Golunski, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica how she held up her one-year-old daughter Sofia to stop her from drowning.

She said the two of them and her partner James survived only because they were up on deck when the yacht sank.

They were woken by “thunder, lightning and waves that made our boat dance”, and it felt like "the end of the world" before they were thrown into the water.

Charlotte said: "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea, then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves."

She added: "I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."

What is the latest with the search?

Six passengers remain missing and the Palermo coastguard says the search and rescue operation is continuing "incessantly".

The search began on Monday and specialist divers have been working at the site since early on Tuesday morning.

One diver told Italian media the yacht was "practically intact" on its side at the ocean's basin, about 50m below the surface.

The ship's hull is obstructed with furniture and various objects, the Italian fire and rescue service has said.

Divers are looking for ways to access the yacht's cabins, but they have just 10 minutes to search on each dive before they need to return to the surface, the Italian news agency Ansa has reported.

A 1cm thick glass window is also being considered as an entry point.

Francesco Venuto, a spokesperson for Sicily's civil protection agency, told the BBC on Monday rescue teams fear the bodies of those missing "must be" in the boat.

"We've been searching all day with helicopters and boats, we've found nothing. That wouldn't make sense. In these conditions, we should have found something by now," he added.

A specialist caving search and rescue diving team arrived from Rome on Monday, hoping to "achieve results" either during the night or by Tuesday morning at the latest, the director general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, said.

On Monday, the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch sent a team of four investigators to carry out a preliminary assessment of the Bayesian's sinking, the BBC understands.

Who was on board?

There were 22 people on board when the storm hit, including 12 passengers and 10 crew.

The body of one man has been recovered. He has not been formally identified, but the Palermo coastguard said he was the ship's cook. His nationality has not been confirmed.

Among the six people still missing is 59-year-old tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, known by some as the "British Bill Gates".

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006.

In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an $11bn (£8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Afterwards, he told the BBC in an interview he had been able to prove his innocence only because he had the wealth to pay the enormous legal fees required.

The other missing people include Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo.

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is among the 15 people to have been rescued, with eight of those receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.

Charlotte Golunski, her husband and daughter Sofia were also rescued and were unharmed, but taken to hospital for check-ups.

She said they had been on the yacht with a group of colleagues.

The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported the vessel had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.

A doctor based in Palermo said the "very tired" survivors were "constantly asking about the missing people".

Dr Domenico Cipolla told Reuters that one woman he treated described the trip as a "corporate holiday", with some of those on board "very young".

"There were a lot of work colleagues, friends, a few husbands, wives, or a couple of friends who had joined in," he adds.

What is a waterspout and why do they form?

A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.

The western half of the Mediterranean has experienced severe storms since the middle of last week.

Through Sunday night and into Monday morning, a zone of bad weather passed by the north coast of Sicily.

BBC Weather forecaster Matt Taylor said: "A waterspout is a tornado that has occurred over water rather than land.

"They can form during intense storms, on the base of cumulonimbus/thunder clouds.

"Turbulence, and the wind blowing in slightly different directions around the cloud, can cause rotation under the base of the cloud and the spout to form.

"Like tornadoes, they bring powerful winds, but instead of picking up dust and debris they cause a water mist around the column of rotating air."

What is the Bayesian, and who owns it?

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, and is listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week.

It was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi.

The Bayesian's registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.

The yacht's name is understood to derive from the Bayesian theory, which Mr Lynch's PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on.

Mr Lynch's wife Ms Bacares is named as the sole legal owner of Revtom, which is registered in the Isle of Man.

The Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.

A spokesperson for Camper and Nicholsons International, the firm that manages the 2008-built boat, told BBC Verify: "Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew."

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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Who are Mike Lynch and the other people missing after a yacht sank in Sicily?

Bill Chappell

Mike Lynch remains missing after a luxury yacht sank off of Sicily's coast. Lynch, who sold his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, had recently been acquitted of fraud charges related to the sale. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

Search teams are scouring waters along Italy’s southwestern shore, where a luxury sailing yacht sank early Monday. Six people are known to be missing, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, and Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife.

Faced with the possibility that some people might have been trapped inside the ship when it sank in a storm, dive teams (including cave divers from the local fire brigade) have been looking for ways to enter the vessel.

Divers recover at least 1 body during search of yacht wreckage off Sicily

The Palermo Coast Guard told NPR on Tuesday that such an operation is complicated by the depth and position of the hull, which lies on the seabed at a depth of around 50 meters, about a half-mile from the port in Porticello, Sicily.

Lynch, a mathematician and longtime tech entrepreneur, was on a vacation voyage that apparently doubled as a celebration of his recent acquittal on federal fraud charges in the U.S. At least two members of his legal team were reportedly on the boat.

Here’s what we know about Lynch and the tragic situation off Sicily’s coast: 

A rescue boat of the Italian Coast Guard operates in Porticello near Palermo, on Tuesday, a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. Specialist divers launched a fresh search for six people, including U.K. tech tycoon Mike Lynch. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Who is Mike Lynch?

Lynch, 59, made his name as the founder and longtime leader of Autonomy, a search engine and software company that helped companies manage information. Hewlett-Packard bought Autonomy for $11 billion in 2011, but Lynch then faced accusations — and then federal charges — that he had misrepresented his company’s financial health and prospects. Lynch denied the claims, saying HP was blaming him for its own problems.

Lynch was indicted on multiple fraud and conspiracy counts in late 2018, months after Autonomy’s former chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted of fraud (he was later sentenced to five years in prison).

Search resumes for British tech magnate and 5 others after yacht sinks off Sicily

Lynch successfully delayed extradition from the U.K. until May 2023 . Earlier this year, the case finally culminated in a lengthy trial in San Francisco that ended with Lynch’s acquittal of all charges against him in June , after he testified on his own behalf.

Also acquitted was Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former finance VP. But on Saturday — just two days before Lynch was caught in a boating catastrophe — Chamberlain was killed in a car accident , after he was struck while out for a run.

Lynch earned a Ph.D. in adaptive pattern recognition from Cambridge University. In 2006, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor for his work in the U.K.’s tech industry. After selling Autonomy, he founded an investment group focused on startups emerging from Cambridge University.

Who else was aboard?

Survivors include Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, along with Charlotte Golunski, who works at Invoke Capital, Lynch’s venture capital firm. Golunski was on the ship with her daughter, Sofia, who had just celebrated her first birthday. In an interview with La Repubblica , Golunski said she held her little girl as she floated in darkness, using all her strength to keep her arms up and prevent Sofia from drowning. Sophia’s father was also onboard and survived.

Ayla Ronald, a lawyer who worked on Lynch’s fraud case, and her partner also escaped the wreck. Other survivors include several crew members, including two women in their early 20s who were part of the ship’s staff.

Missing along with Lynch and Bloomer are Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, 18; Bloomer’s wife, Judy; a lawyer for Lynch named Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda, according to local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia .

Bloomer was a partner at Arthur Andersen for some 20 years, until 1994, according to his LinkedIn profile . He then led the financial services company Prudential before taking on a number of chairman roles, including at the legal services firm DWF.

Bloomer is also currently chairman of insurance company the Hiscox Group.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said in a statement sent to NPR. “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”  

#Palermo , naufragio imbarcazione a Porticello: proseguono da parte dei #vigilidelfuoco le ricerche delle 6 persone segnalate come disperse. Giunti da Cagliari, Sassari e Roma i #sommozzatori speleo [ #19agosto 19:30] pic.twitter.com/7WY30ckxcK — Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024

What happened to the yacht?

The gathering took place aboard a massive sailing yacht called Bayesian — a term that, in mathematics and statistics, refers to probability and uncertainty. The yacht’s overall length is listed at 55.9 meters (183 feet).

The Bayesian was off the coast of Porticello when it was swamped by a violent storm before dawn on Monday morning. Numerous eyewitness accounts cited a waterspout — a highly localized spiraling storm that’s essentially a marine tornado. Around that time, the Bayesian was located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, according to the Marine Traffic tracking site.

The ship, which had 22 people aboard, sank. In the aftermath, 15 people were rescued, but one died and six were unaccounted for.  

What about the rescue effort?

Helicopters and marine craft have been searching for any sign of the passengers, hoping to find more survivors. Sea and cave divers have also been part of the effort.

Italy’s fire brigade, Vigili del Fuoco, says it is working on a plan for divers to enter the sunken vessel. An initial attempt on Monday was cut short after divers were able to gain only limited access , citing furniture that blocked a passageway.

When asked about the possibility of finding any other survivors of the calamity, Comandante Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coast Guard told radio station RTL 102.5 on Tuesday that given how much time has elapsed, it’s difficult to imagine a good outcome for the missing passengers. But, he said, the search will continue.

UK's Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily, source says

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Reporting by Paul Sandle and Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton

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Mike Lynch’s body is fifth found in yacht wreckage; daughter is last missing

The body of Lynch, 59, was recovered from the wreckage of the Bayesian, according to an Italian government official. The Bayesian yacht sank in a storm this week.

A previous version of the headline on this article incorrectly stated that Mike Lynch was the sixth body recovered from the yacht wreckage. He is the fifth recovered from the wreckage. Another body, that of chef Recaldo Thomas, was recovered during earlier search efforts. The article has been corrected.

ROME — The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a sunken yacht off Sicily’s coast, an Italian government official said Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity in keeping with protocol.

The British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members roughly half a mile from the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello when it encountered what authorities called a “violent storm” about 4 a.m. Monday. Fifteen people were rescued shortly after the sinking and the body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered during initial search efforts.

Six people — including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah — were missing in the days after the sinking. Four bodies were pulled from the wreckage on Wednesday, and the Italian official said Lynch’s body was taken out of the water and identified on Thursday.

As of Thursday, only Lynch’s daughter was still missing.

Authorities identified four bodies pulled from the sunken wreckage Wednesday. An Italian coast guard official, Vincenzo Zagarola, said the four bodies brought ashore by divers were identified as those of two couples: Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and charity trustee Judy Bloomer and attorney Chris Morvillo and jeweler Neda Morvillo.

Lynch, 59, is best known for founding the tech venture capital firm Invoke Capital and co-founding the tech firms Autonomy and Darktrace. He sold Autonomy, which was once England’s biggest software company, to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for more than $11 billion. He was subsequently accused of overvaluing the company and was charged in the United States with fraud. He was acquitted during a trial in San Francisco in June after a decade-long legal battle.

Many of the guests on the yacht had business or legal ties to Lynch: Chris Morvillo was a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance in New York and represented Lynch in the concluded legal battle. The voyage on the Bayesian was intended to be a celebration of Lynch’s victory, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported .

A Clifford Chance spokesperson said the firm was “heartbroken at the tragic passing” of the Morvillos and “still coming to terms with this terrible loss.” The firm was working to “support Chris’s family at this very distressing time,” the spokesperson said.

Tech entrepreneur and investor Brent Hoberman, who identified himself as Lynch’s longtime friend, told Sky News on Thursday that his friends and family were waiting for a “miracle” during the search, calling him a “titan and a figurehead” of the U.K. tech industry. Hoberman said Lynch had spent the last decade “defending his name” in the courts and that his death so soon after his legal victory was “unbelievably tragic.”

The 183-foot yacht was owned by a company controlled by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of those rescued.

Divers from the Italian fire brigade have been undertaking daily recovery efforts since Monday, but the position of the yacht and the narrow passages of the cluttered wreck have complicated the process, they said.

The violent weather appeared to have caught many by surprise. Zagarola, the coast guard official, said that they had expected only “strong gusts” on the day of the sinking and that no weather warnings had been issued.

Suliman reported from London. Bryan Pietsch in Anchorage contributed to this report.