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Heesen Aurelia 37 m

2011/2017 | €7,750,000

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2017 | €2,800,000

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2020 | Price on request

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2021 | €35,600,000

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2017 | €6,700,000

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2025 | €25,500,000

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2008/2013 | €2,500,000

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2014 | €5,950,000

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2012 | €15,900,000

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2019 | €315,000

The Mediterranean is the cradle of the world greatest civilizations, the way of enrichment and downfall of empires, nations, and thousands of individual historical figures. In the minds of mankind these waters always will be crossed by boats and vessels of ancient Greeks, on their way to the Trojan War, or by caravans of Venetian and Genoese merchants seeking for a new goods in the east lands of Palestine and Egypt.

Choosing yachts for sale in Mediterranean Sea also gives the best coasts seemed to be tailor made for recreation and yachting: the coastline is very picturesque and diverse, there are all sorts of countless coves, bays and beaches here alternating with majestic cliffs, and the water is crystal clear. The climate is ideal for cruising on a yacht at almost any time of year, there are no dangerous insects or rare tropical fevers, and great European culture itself creates a sense of "home".

That is why the purchase of motor yachts in Mediterranean Sea is not only a momentary whim, but a visionary and profitable investment. In this region there will always be a high demand for yachts, so it also could be a good business.

Arcon Yachts specialist brokers will help you to buy a yacht in Mediterranean Sea for the best price and on the most favorable terms.

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Price: €9,500,000

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Price: €12,900,000

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Price: €4,400,000

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Price: €2,766,650

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Price: £749,536

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Founded in 1987, Mediterranean Yachts has been committed to providing clients with the very best service from the outset, in the 37 years since, we have become one of the most established yacht brokerage companies in Spain. Our office is located in Mallorca’s premier port, Puerto Portals, and whether you are buying or selling – a new or pre-owned brokerage yacht – our team have the experience to find and supply you with the perfect yacht.

Mediterranean Yachts has built up an extremely high reputation in the industry, having regularly worked with the world’s leading superyacht shipyards, yachting lawyers, surveyors and management companies. We are fully multilingual and ready to assist. Our experienced team can also coordinate high quality charters, technical assistance, yacht management, yacht registration, moorings and insurance.

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Used boats for sale in Mediterranean Sea on DailyBoats.com are listed for a range of prices, valued from $17,783 on the more basic models to $6,605,174 for the most expensive. The boats can differ in size from 7.99 m to 27.43 m. The oldest one built in 1977 year. This page features Astondoa, Beneteau, Cranchi, Quicksilver, Bayliner, Monterey, Cruisers Yachts, Sunseeker, Bavaria, Doqueve, Custom, Azimut, Jongert, Horizon and Formosa boats located in countries: Spain. To buy used boats near you, use the search filter.

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The Mediterranean offers a rich combination of cultures, history, and landscapes amongst the world’s most famous yachting destinations. Home to iconic luxury charter locations like the sun-dropped French Riviera , colourful Amalfi Coast , and island paradises in Greece , Croatia , and Turkey , a yacht charter in the Mediterranean offers a range of picturesque cruising grounds bound to whet the appetite of any yacht charter guest.

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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.

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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.

Sinking of a super yacht adds to questions billionaire Mike Lynch wanted to put behind him

I t was a sunny August morning when software entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, gathered ten of his closest friends along with his wife and daughter on the dock of Porto di Milazzo, on the Northern coast of Sicily. They had come to celebrate his freedom. Only months before, several of the guests played crucial roles in persuading a San Francisco jury to acquit Lynch of federal charges related to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion. 

Five days after the yacht left port, Lynch, his daughter, four guests, and a hired chef were dead in the Mediterranean Sea after a storm flooded the ship. The drowned included the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, a star witness at Lynch’s trial, as well as one of Lynch’s lead defense attorneys. Among the survivors were a former Autonomy exec who went on to become a partner at Lynch’s venture capital firm, a second member of his defense team, and his wife, who reportedly owns nearly all his fortune. The same day of the drowning, U.K. news outlets reported that Lynch’s co-defendant in the fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, who had also been acquitted, had been fatally run over by a car as he was out jogging—a shocking coincidence.

Less than a week after the tragedy, there are far more questions than answers. Did the yacht named Bayesian—an homage to a statistical theorem for predicting future outcomes—simply fall victim to a terrible storm? How did most of the crew and a few passengers escape, and why couldn’t they reach Lynch and the six others who did not make it out? Italian officials are looking into manslaughter charges, but it’s not yet clear who they may have in their crosshairs. Giovanni Costantino, who runs The Italian Sea Group that owns Perini Navi, the Italian maker of the yacht, had harsh words for the crew, who he blames. "This is the mistake that cries out for vengeance," he told Reuters .

There are also huge questions swirling around the business ventures of the man dubbed the “British Bill Gates.” While the Bayesian excursion was to serve as a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal on all charges in the U.S.—where he had spent months under house arrest—the reality is that his legal troubles were far from over. In a January 2022 civil trial, the UK’s High Court found that HPE had “substantially succeeded” in proving that Autonomy leaders had fraudulently made it look like the company was earning more revenue than it was. In 2019 Autonomy’s CFO was convicted of 16 counts and sentenced to five years in prison. At this time, the UK case is in a holding pattern as the judge determines what damages are owed to HPE. (The company’s spokesperson Adam Bauer says HPE is, “saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who lost their lives.”)

But Lynch’s passing also looms over Invoke Capital, the venture firm he founded in 2011 and whose managing partner—Charlotte Golunski—survived the yacht disaster and saved her 1-year old baby. One of Invoke’s most prominent bets was a 2013 seed stage investment in Darktrace, a cybersecurity firm on whose board Lynch sat until 2018. Darktrace has developed a reputation as a sleek AI cybersecurity startup with ties to spy agencies like MI5 and the U.S. National Security Agency. It also became the target of short-sellers who in 2023 expressed doubt over Darktrace’s financial filings—the same sort of allegations that plagued Lynch’s Autonomy. 

Darktrace insists that the shortseller’s allegations were baseless, and they say an EY audit it commissioned showed this to be the case. In April Darktrace received a $5.3 billion acquisition offer from the giant private equity firm, Thoma Bravo. The deal, which Fortune reported will likely go forward despite Lynch’s death, stood to help rehabilitate Lynch’s business reputation. As of August 14, he and his wife collectively owned 3.21% of the company, which would be worth some $170 million upon the deal’s completion. Invoke Capital has not responded to multiple requests for comment and Darktrace declined comment.

Following his U.S. acquittal, Lynch was pleased enough with the state of things that he had begun celebrating weeks before the yacht party. In the days following the not-guilty verdict, Lynch, his wife, Stephen Chamberlain and his wife, the attorney Chris Morvillo—who drowned on Bayesian—and 20 other lawyers gathered at a restaurant at a hotel near the San Francisco courthouse.

Brian Heberlig, an attorney at Steptoe who gave the closing argument in Lynch’s trial, recalls that Morvillo gave a moving toast, telling those assembled that the trial was more than just a job, but one of their life’s works. “He really was a brilliant man,” Heberlig told Fortune , fighting back tears as he remembered Lynch. “And he ran his legal defense the same way I imagine he ran Autonomy. He let the experts do their jobs, while still having a strong grasp on the material. As he used to say, ‘Let the brain surgeons do the surgery.’”

That night was the last time Heberlig ever saw Lynch or Morvillo.

A 'virtually unsinkable' boat

The sailing party departed August 14—five days before the storm—and was comprised of 12 guests and 10 crew. The Bayesian was one of the biggest yachts of its kind. Its first stop was a cluster of small islands off the coast of Sicily. Then it jetted across the sea to the Sicilian town of Cefalu, before putting down anchor for the final time on the coast of Palermo, a favorite getaway for the rich and famous, and a former haunt for the mafia.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who reportedly held the couple’s entire $1.1 billion fortune, was jolted awake on August 18 as the boat began to tilt. Glass from a shattered window exploded across the deck, according to reports, cutting her feet as she ran to investigate.

Black and white security  footage  appears to show the outline of what is believed to be the 184-foot sailing yacht, which used call sign 2ICB8, slowly disappearing behind a thicker and thicker veil of rain. Nearby villagers and fishermen say they saw a sea tornado, called a waterspout. Soon after, the yacht lay on the ocean floor.

Theories are swirling about why the yacht sank. One holds that a bay door was left open in the storm, causing the ship to flood and sink in minutes. Another holds that the Bayesian’s 246-foot tall aluminum mast—one of the tallest in the world— broke in the wind and took the boat down with it.

Most news reports say the yacht sank almost instantly, but the CEO of the company that bought the boat’s maker after it went bankrupt in 2021 disputes that. In a Financial Times report, he called the boat “virtually unsinkable,” and says that it dragged its anchor for 16 minutes before it sank. 

During those fateful moments, a far older nearby yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, built in 1957, was drifting on a similar course as the Bayesian and not only survived, but came to help. Some onboard saw a red flare shooting across the rainy sky—an emergency signal from those who had fled the doomed yacht, drawing the attention to a life raft filled with 15 of the 22 passengers.

Passenger Golunski, 35, who helped run Autonomy the first year it was at HP, described holding her one-year old daughter Sophia, as she screamed for help. One of Lynch’s most trusted employees, Golunski was a founding partner at Invoke Capital, the London-based firm that backed Darktrace. Lynch’s wife Bacares was also in the life raft along with Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who reportedly texted to her father: “there are deaths.”

The lifeboat survivors were soon plucked from the sea while the Bayesian came to its current resting place 50 meters below the surface. Over the course of the next 72 hours, a team of scuba divers from the Guardia Costiera and specially trained cave divers from the Vigili del Fuoco, the local fire department, used boats and a helicopter to triangulate the yacht’s position. The divers, working in bursts of 8 to 12 minutes, searched the Bayesian’s six guest suites, master suite, multiple living areas, and dining room.

The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was the first to be found, floating on the water’s surface. On Wednesday, two days after the wreck, four more bodies were discovered, and on Thursday a fifth. Among them were Lynch and Chris Morvillo of the prestigious law firm Clifford Chance, who had made the controversial decision to have Lynch testify, and questioned him on the stand right before he was acquitted. The others discovered were Morvillo’s wife, Neda, as well as the Morgan Stanley banker and key witness, Jonathan Bloomer, who had been a former executive director at Autonomy, and his wife Judy. The body of Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was pulled from the sea on Friday.

The U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency tells Fortune it is in contact with the Italian authorities but would not provide further information. The UK’s Foreign Office told Fortune it is providing “consular support to a number of British nationals and their families…and are in contact with the local authorities.”

More questions than answers

Even as loved ones and the survivors begin to come to terms with the human toll of the tragedy, the business world has begun assessing Lynch’s complicated past, and his many business dealings. 

Lynch was born of modest means to a nurse and firefighter in a suburb of London. From an early age he showed a proclivity towards technology and a fiery determination. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, then returned for a PhD in artificial neural networks, the building blocks of artificial intelligence. When he was still studying for his PhD, he started his first venture, Cambridge Neurodynamics, monetizing computerized fingerprint recognition, eventually evolving into Autonomy. 

Founded in 1996 with David Tabizel and Richard Gaunt, Autonomy used an early version of artificial intelligence to quickly scan what’s known as “unstructured data,” especially including language. Autonomy quickly became a darling of the UK’s fledgling tech scene, and it was seen as a crowning achievement when, in 2011, the company struck an $11 billion deal to be purchased by HP, now HPE. The deal, however, was quickly engulfed in scandal when a year later the new owner alleged accounting fraud and wrote down its investment by $8.8 billion.

Despite the baggage around Autonomy, Lynch continued to ride high in the tech world through his venture firm, Invoke Capital, which he founded in 2012. One of its most profitable investments was Darktrace, which he backed in 2013 and joined as a board member. By 2016 he told TechCrunch 60 employees from Autonomy were working at Invoke, that he’d raised a billion dollars to invest in startups, and that Darktrace was worth $500 million.

While fighting the legal battle over Autonomy and building Invoke, Lynch enjoyed the trappings of a mogul. The same year he announced his billion-dollar startup fund, he was sailing the Bayesian, worth an estimated $25 million. He reportedly also owned a $6 million, 69-acre Georgian manor.

By early 2020 Darktrace shared deep connections with Autonomy, including half of Darktrace’s board and six of its eight top executives. The following year Darktrace went public, soaring 40% above its pre-market value. But the victory lap was brief. In September 2022, an acquisition talk between private equity firm Thoma Bravo and Darktrace fell through , sending share prices tumbling. In early 2023, the short-selling firm Quintessential Capital Management published a 70-page report accusing Darktrace of similar misconduct that had sunk Autonomy.

“We are deeply skeptical about the validity of Darktrace’s financial statements,” the report read. Darktrace’s shares plunged as much as 17% after the report was published, though the company said at the time that the management team and board had “rigorous controls in place.” Darktrace hired EY to perform an audit, which stabilized its share price after the accounting firm found the company's earlier financial results did not need to be restated. Darktrace never publicly released the report, however, with a spokesperson saying at the time that it contained “commercially sensitive information.”

More recently, Darktrace’s CEO Poppy Gustafsson wrote in the firm’s Q4 trading report of “shareholders voting overwhelmingly in favour” of the acquisition, and added the company is “awaiting the conclusion of the remaining regulatory processes.”

Until very recently, Darktrace had sought to distance itself from Lynch and his VC firm. In December, shareholders passed a resolution that rejected Invoke executive Patrick Jacob's reappointment to its board. This April, Invoke lost the right to that same board seat when it was discovered its shares had fallen below the required 10% threshold. Nonetheless, in a memorial to Lynch, Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson wrote : “Without Mike, there would be no Darktrace. We owe him so much.”

While the Italian authorities continue to investigate the crash site, one thing is certain: the swirl of legal and business battles that surrounded Lynch during his lifetime are likely to continue after his death. A local Italian news site reports that the public prosecutor's office in a nearby town, Termini Imerese, is looking into allegations of manslaughter surrounding the sunken boat. And two months before Lynch died, former UK secretary of state David Davis reportedly said he was working with Lynch to scrap U.S./U.K extradition agreements that allowed Lynch’s trial to happen in the first place. 

On Wednesday, August 21, Davis told GB News he would continue that fight in memory of Lynch. “We need to get a grip of this,” said Davis. “Mike, when he’d won his case, almost the first thing he did was ring me up and say, ‘we’re going to have to defeat this treaty, we’re going to have to overcome this treaty and get it changed for the better.'"

“I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said after the verdict.

Lynch’s desire to extend the legal fight even after his not-guilty verdict reflects the scrappiness he displayed throughout his life. This helped him ascend to the highest rungs of business and moguldom—but the success also came with a tenuous quality as questions about his business dealings dogged him for years. The not-guilty verdict and the pending Darktrace sale meant Lynch was in position to finally cast off that shadow. But now his ultimate legacy is poised to be tied forever to a mysterious and tragic hour on the Mediterranean Sea.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

• Live Reporting (active)

Watch & listen

The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily , a source close to the family says

The search is continuing for one person who's still missing - it's believed it is Mike's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah

Five bodies have been brought ashore but they have not been formally identified

One body - that of Recaldo Thomas, the yacht's chef - was recovered from the sea on Monday

In total, 15 people survived, with six bodies recovered, and one person still missing

Live Reporting

Edited by Johanna Chisholm and Sophie Abdulla

Six key takeaways from day four of the search published at 20:20 British Summer Time 22 August 20:20 BST 22 August

The fourth day of search operations has come to a close in the coastal town of Porticello, and divers deployed to the scene have yet to recover the last missing person from a yacht that sank on Monday morning.

Here's a brief summary of what we learned throughout the day:

• The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily, a source close to the family has told the BBC
• The person still missing is believed to be Mike’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, Reuters news agency reported
• No formal identification of the bodies has been announced by the Italian authorities
• An investigation is underway by Italian authorities, with captain James Cutfield reportedly being questioned by authorities yesterday for two hours, as they began speaking to all crew members
• The trip has been described as a "celebratory cruise" that came after Lynch was cleared of fraud charges in June. The BBC were told his "key team" were travelling on board

We're going to be pausing our coverage for the day, but you can read the latest here .

This page was written by Pia Harold, Cachella Smith, Matt Spivey, Rachel Flynn and James Harness and was edited by Marita Moloney, Nadia Ragozhina, Sophie Abdulla and Johanna Chisholm.

In pictures: A fourth day of search operations published at 19:41 British Summer Time 22 August 19:41 BST 22 August

As the sun rose over the harbour in Porticello and divers resumed their search operation, people gathered again by the shore

Earlier today, members of the fire brigade and coast guard recovered a fifth body, after four bodies were retrieved from the wreck on Wednesday and transported to nearby hospitals, in the city of Palermo

A source close to the family has told the BBC the body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered and they believe the person still missing is Mike’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. No formal identification of the bodies has been announced by the Italian authorities

A 'warm and wonderful smile' that will be 'impossible' to forget - Countess of Euston published at 19:03 British Summer Time 22 August 19:03 BST 22 August

Mike Lynch OBE was one of Suffolk's "most inspirational citizens", the Countess of Euston says in one of the latest tributes to the UK businessman.

Clare, Countess of Euston, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk says in a statement that Lynch "was quite simply a genius", adding that he was a "global leader in his field".

"A kind and compassionate man who was always ready to help, hugely generous, the best of friends, but it will be his warm and wonderful smile that will be impossible for me to forget," she continues.

"Mike was an exemplary Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk serving both our late Queen Elizabeth II and our present King Charles III."

She goes on to send her condolences to Lynch's wife and wider family.

From a celebratory excursion to a devastating tragedy published at 18:38 British Summer Time 22 August 18:38 BST 22 August

Mike Lynch was a star of the British tech sector who - as we've mentioned in previous posts - attracted comparisons to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

But he also suffered a sudden and dramatic fall from grace.

In 1996, he established Autonomy, a company which built software to help businesses manage and sift through data. In 2011, it was bought by the US giant Hewlett-Packard in a deal that valued the business at $11bn (£8.6bn).

That made Lynch a very rich man.

But it rapidly turned sour. Little more than a year later, HP said it had found evidence of accounting "irregularities" at Autonomy that had been used to make it appear a much more attractive prospect financially.

This led to a decade of legal wrangling and last year, Lynch was extradited to the US to face criminal fraud charges. He was acquitted in June.

The excursion aboard the Bayesian was meant to be a celebration of that victory. It ended in tragedy.

Lynch 'a pioneer in artificial intelligence' published at 18:16 British Summer Time 22 August 18:16 BST 22 August

More tributes are continuing to be shared about British entrepreneur Mike Lynch.

The head of Luminance, a technology company where Lynch was a founding investor, says he was "one of the brightest minds the technology sector has ever seen" and a "pioneer in artificial intelligence".

Quote Message Above all, Mike was a kind man who had an impact on many and will be sorely missed. I feel honoured to have known him, worked with him and learnt from him over the years." Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of Luminance

Judy Bloomer: Teacher, wife and 'wonderful friend' published at 17:49 British Summer Time 22 August 17:49 BST 22 August

Some more details about Judy Bloomer, who - alongside her husband of five decades - went missing from Bayesian earlier this week.

Bloomer was educated at Homerton College, University of Cambridge, where she studied English language and literature. After that, she embarked on a career as a teacher.

She later worked as a psychotherapist for nearly 30 years, specialising in anxiety and stress.

She was also a former director of property developer Change Real Estate, a property firm in Bristol, which was founded by her husband, Jonathan Bloomer.

Sally Bailey, a former chairwoman of charity Pilot Light, wrote that Judy was a "wonderful friend" to the gynaecological cancer research charity the Eve Appeal. She was a "kind and caring person," she added.

In a statement from the Bloomer family, they described the couple as "incredible people and an inspiration to many".

"Our only comfort is that they are still together now."

Judy Bloomer was educated at Homerton College, University of Cambridge, before starting her career as a teacher

Bloomer 'a friend and mentor to many' published at 17:25 British Summer Time 22 August 17:25 BST 22 August

Tributes continue to be paid to Jonathan Bloomer. The chief executive of Morgan Stanley, where Bloomer was international chairman, says that "Jonathan's leadership and experience helped the firm manage a period of complex change for our international businesses".

Ted Pick describes him as a "friend and mentor to many", adding: "We will all greatly miss his wise counsel and spirit of kindness."

Meanwhile, Aki Hussain, chief executive of insurance group Hiscox, says Bloomer's advice and support were "immensely valuable".

"It was a privilege to have known Jonathan and to have benefited from his generosity and wisdom over the last year in his role as chair of Hiscox," Hussain adds.

"His deep experience across our industry and in the broader business arena, combined with his personal values, made him both an excellent chair and a person I was proud to know and work with."

Elsewhere Bloomer is described as a "giant in financial services" by investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown.

The group says: "We remember him fondly at Hargreaves Lansdown as someone who made a major impact on the business with his wealth of experience when he served on the board from 2006-2013 including as our senior independent director."

Mike Lynch 'was the Steve Jobs of Britain' published at 17:15 British Summer Time 22 August 17:15 BST 22 August

David Tabizel described his colleague and friend as the 'Steve Jobs of Britain'

Let's bring you a few more tributes to the victims of the Bayesian shipwreck.

First, David Tabizel has been speaking about Mike Lynch, who he says was "a human supercomputer" who "loved having his brain lit up".

Tabizel co-founded Autonomy with Lynch, and tells the BBC it's a tragedy Mike Lynch died "just when he was about to reclaim his status and his position in society", who had been subjected to "an unjust legal interruption".

"It feels a bit like the Post Office scandal... Just because a group of people are being accused doesn't mean they are guilty."

Tabizel praises Lynch's loyalty to his friends, describing the businessman as a great polymath with an inquisitive mind.

Mike Lynch had "an amazing gift to get to the nub of things, to get to the truth... he was a child. At the same time, he was a moral giant... he was certainly the brightest person I've ever met.

"To me he's the Steve Jobs of Britain. I miss him. I loved him."

Many factors could've played a role in yacht disaster published at 16:55 British Summer Time 22 August 16:55 BST 22 August

While we wait for the sixth missing person to be found, the investigation goes on.

The focus now is on whether human error was to blame. From the captain and the crew not taking measures onboard the yacht to mitigate the extreme weather and storm alert that had been issued before that terrible tragedy on Monday morning.

The wheels of justice move very slowly here in Italy. But there will be pressure on the investigators to wrap this up.

These are high profile victims - so there will be a lot of legal implications.

We know the investigators spoke to the captain, who survived, for two hours yesterday. He's 51 and from New Zealand.

Part of the focus is on whether there were storage compartments left open, allowing water to flood into the boat. And also on why there was no crew team on alert overnight when the storm happened, particularly given the fact there was a weather alert.

Another question: why was the yacht not harboured at port if the storm alert was out?

A ship surveyor told me yesterday there should have been a two-man watch team on board overnight.

The feeling is that there was a combination of factors that made the conditions ripe for this kind of disaster to happen.

No news conferences planned yet published at 16:39 British Summer Time 22 August 16:39 BST 22 August

Gillian Hazell Reporting from Porticello

Let's return briefly to the operation that's still running on the ground in Porticello.

Carlo Dall'Oppio, head of Italy's firefighters, has told the BBC there are no news conferences planned at present, and that the last body has not been found yet.

He said it was up to the coroner to announce the names of those who have died after identification.

As we've been reporting , according to Italian law, officials are not allowed to share the names of the deceased until formal identification has concluded.

Family of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer pay tribute published at 16:28 British Summer Time 22 August 16:28 BST 22 August

We're also been hearing from the family of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer - both of whom were confirmed as missing following the yacht sinking earlier this week.

Jonathan is the chairman of the Morgan Stanley International bank, he also gave evidence as a defence witness in Mike Lynch's US trial which saw him cleared of fraud charges in June.

The yacht trip has been described as a celebration following the trial's verdict.

In a statement, the couple's family express "sincere gratitude" to emergency services and all those who helped with the rescue operation.

"Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren," the statement continues.

"Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now.

"This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder. Our only ask is that our family's privacy is respected at this time."

Mike Lynch had 'most brilliant mind' says close friend published at 16:14 British Summer Time 22 August 16:14 BST 22 August

A close friend and colleague of Mike Lynch says he was "the most brilliant mind and the most caring person" he has ever known, in a statement released to the BBC in the last half an hour.

Quote Message Over nearly a quarter century I had the privilege of working beside someone unrivalled in their understanding of technology and business.

Quote Message There is simply no other UK technology entrepreneur of our generation who has had such an impact on so many people. His passion for life, knowledge and all those around him was instantly inspiring to everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed." Andrew Kanter

Meanwhile Ruth Leigh, a neighbour of Mike Lynch said she was "horrified" when she learned he was missing after the yacht sank.

The 57-year-old writer and author added: "It's dreadful, it's the worst news."

She said that "right from the start [Lynch] was a fantastic neighbour".

Quote Message Whenever he met you he always remembered your name, he would chat to you, incredibly friendly and down to earth which we thought was a great quality. He was a really good neighbour." Ruth Leigh

British Library and BBC heads among latest tributes to Mike Lynch published at 15:57 British Summer Time 22 August 15:57 BST 22 August

Here are some more tributes that have been coming in to Mike Lynch, who had served on the boards of several organisations, including the British Library and the BBC.

The chief executive of the British Library, Sir Roly Keating , says: "Mike's extraordinary understanding of technology, combined with his passion for the British Library's mission to share knowledge, made him an invaluable member of our board.

"He was thoughtful, perceptive and supportive, and will be deeply missed by all of us who worked with him in his time here."

Director general of the BBC Tim Davie says: "Mike Lynch was an outstanding BBC director who made a major contribution during his time on the board, from 2007 to 2012.

"Wise, generous and insightful, he played a particularly key role in accelerating our transformation as a digital organisation."

Who was the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch? published at 15:49 British Summer Time 22 August 15:49 BST 22 August

Lynch, pictured here in 2000, has been in a major figure in the British tech industry since the turn of the century

The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered, days after his yacht capsized off the coast of Sicily.

The 59-year-old was holidaying on his boat with family, members of his business and legal inner circle, as well as the vessel's crew, when it was struck by a powerful storm on Monday morning.

Lynch had been a significant figure in the UK tech industry since helping to establish Cambridge Neurodynamics - a firm that specialised in using computer-based detection and recognition of fingerprints.

Five years later, he co-founded the British tech firm Autonomy. In 2011, Lynch made his riches by selling his company to US computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $11bn (£8.6bn).

But an intense legal battle following the high-profile acquisition loomed over Lynch for over a decade. He was acquitted of multiple fraud charges in the US in June, over which he had been facing two decades in jail.

Lynch had reportedly invited guests to his yacht to celebrate the conclusion of that court case.

In 2006 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his service to UK enterprise. He served on the board of the BBC as a non-executive director, and in 2011 was appointed as an adviser to then-Prime Minister David Cameron on the risks and possibilities of AI development.

• You can read more about Mike Lynch here
• Or listen to our new profile on BBC Sounds

Body of Mike Lynch recovered from wreck published at 15:43 British Summer Time 22 August 15:43 BST 22 August Breaking

The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily, a source close to the family has told the BBC.

The source also said they believe the person still missing is Mike’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

A 'calm spirit' and 'deeply saddened': Friends and family remember victims of Bayesian sinking published at 15:39 British Summer Time 22 August 15:39 BST 22 August

In addition to the tributes that have been being paid to Mike Lynch, we're also receiving commemorations of the other people who went missing after the Bayesian sank:

• A spokesperson for Clifford Chance, the law firm where Chris Morvillo was a partner, said the team was "in shock and deeply saddened"
• Recaldo Thomas, a chef on the yacht, was described by his friend, Gareth Williams, as being a "well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit"
• Jonathan Bloomer's brother spoke to the BBC earlier in the week while they were still waiting for news. "We’re coping the best we can, and we’re all just supporting each other,” he said. “He was my elder by half an hour, so, it means a lot when you lose a twin brother."

Reports this morning from the AFP news agency have indicated that all the missing men from the yacht have been brought to shore.

Bloomer 's wife, Judy Bloomer , Morvillo's wife, Neda Morvillo , and Lynch's daughter, Hannah Lynch were also confirmed as missing earlier this week.

As we've been reporting, five bodies, in addition to the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, have been retrieved so far but there has been no formal identification by Italian officials.

UK cancer charity 'deeply saddened' at Lynch news published at 15:22 British Summer Time 22 August 15:22 BST 22 August

The chief executive of Cancer Research UK has paid tribute to Mike Lynch, saying the charity is “deeply saddened to hear of the death of Mike Lynch and all those who have been affected by this tragedy”.

Michelle Mitchell says: "Together with his wife, Angela, Mike was a valued donor to Cancer Research UK and a member of the board for our Create the Change campaign, which funded the building of the Francis Crick Institute.”

"His support has helped to bring leading scientists together under one roof to tackle the biggest health challenges faced by humankind, including cancer,” adds Mitchell.

"Our sincerest condolences go out to all the families affected."

Lynch spoke of second lease of life weeks before boat tragedy published at 14:57 British Summer Time 22 August 14:57 BST 22 August

Mike Lynch was described by many who knew him as a charismatic and clever man, regarded by some as the UK’s version of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

A tech industry stalwart for over 30 years, the Cambridge graduate was awarded an OBE for his services to UK enterprise.

His company Autonomy was a British tech superstar. The software Lynch developed at the firm used a statistical method called Bayesian Inference, which helps forecasters predict more accurate outcomes. It’s still used in AI tools today, and shares a name with the yacht he died on.

When Lynch was dramatically acquitted in a US court of 15 charges of fraud earlier this year, he was also in line for a £300m pay-out from the recent sale of UK cybersecurity firm Darktrace, which he co-founded.

Things were looking up, and just three weeks ago he spoke about having a second lease of life. It sounds like the yacht trip was intended as a celebration of that new chapter.

Lynch also told the BBC that his wealth had helped him ride out the legal proceedings, but equally, it was also his wealth which put him and his family on the doomed luxury yacht.

Body of Mike Lynch retrieved today, official tells Reuters published at 14:43 British Summer Time 22 August 14:43 BST 22 August

An Italian interior ministry official has confirmed to Reuters news agency that the body of Mike Lynch was retrieved from the wreck today.

Massimo Mariani says Lynch's daughter Hannah, 18, is still missing - adding that it's possible she is either inside the wreck or may have been tossed into the sea as the boat sank.

The BBC is in touch with the Italian authorities and we'll bring you further details as we get them.

Italian interior ministry official Massimo Mariani leaves after visiting the scene where a luxury yacht sank

What's been happening on the fourth day of the search operation? published at 14:34 British Summer Time 22 August 14:34 BST 22 August

If you're just joining us, here's the latest from the fourth day of the Sicily search operation:

• As the fifth body is brought to shore, the search for one missing body continues
• Reuters is reporting that the last missing body is Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah
• Lynch's body has been recovered, according to multiple reports, as well as the bodies of Jonathan Bloomer and Chris Morvillo, says AF P
• There has been no formal identification yet. Under Italian law, victims families must be notified first
• Investigators have questioned the yacht's captain, James Cutfield , for two hours yesterday. There are now questions over whether he took necessary measures amid weather warnings before the boat capsized

To watch and listen, you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Body Of Mike Lynch Recovered From Sicily Yacht. BBC News. Video Body Of Mike Lynch Recovered From Sicily Yacht

After Yacht Sinks, Experts Say Mediterranean Growing More Dangerous

Rescue personnel work in the area where a luxury yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 20, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

By Antonella Cinelli and Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) - The shipwreck of a luxury yacht moored off the coast of Sicily is the latest sign that the Mediterranean is becoming a more dangerous sea to sail in, climate experts and skippers say.

One man died and six people are still missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after the Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) sailboat, was hit by a ferocious storm on Monday, sinking in a matter of minutes.

Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected tempests more frequent in a sea used as a summer playground for millions of tourists, including a wealthy few sailing its waters on superyachts.

Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days leading up to the shipwreck was about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), almost three degrees more than normal.

"This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," he told Reuters.

The changes in "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea), as the ancient Romans called the Mediterranean, are also being noticed by experienced skippers such as Massimo Aramu, who runs the Akua sailing school on the coast near the Italian capital.

Currently sailing around Greece, Aramu said he did not like navigating Italy's Tyrrhenian coast around Sicily or the Spanish Balearic islands because there are "often critical situations with little warning".

Last week, a storm similar to the one that sank the Bayesian hit the Balearic archipelago, which includes the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, leaving several yachts washed up ashore.

Giuliano Gallo, a former skipper who crossed the Atlantic and has written several books on sailing, said the Mediterranean was becoming more like the Caribbean, which has areas that many boats steer clear of at certain times of the year.

"But things are less predictable in the Mediterranean," he said.

Another sign of the more erratic weather in the Mediterranean was seen a year ago when thousands of people were killed in Libya by flash floods triggered by a so-called medicane - a supercharged Mediterranean storm fuelled by warmer seas.

Karsten Borner, the captain of a boat that was moored alongside the Bayesian but escaped harm, said Monday's storm had been "very violent, very intense, a lot of water and I think a turning system like a tornado".

He also blamed more frequent episodes of intense heat during the summer months for playing a role in causing such storms.

"The water is ... way too hot for the Mediterranean and this causes for sure heavy storms, like we had one week ago on the Balearics, like we had two years ago in Corsica and so on," he said.

(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones and Giselda Vagnoni; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Helen Popper)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Bayesian Yacht Sinking: Climate Change Created Perfect Storm for Waterspouts

The waterspout blamed for the deadly sinking of a luxury superyacht carrying the British tech billionaire Mike Lynch in Italy has been called a freak “black swan” event. But scientists believe this kind of marine tornado is becoming more common with global warming.

While the cause of the sinking of the Bayesian hasn’t officially been determined, weather conditions and witness reports from Sicily, where the yacht was anchored off the coast, have led experts to suspect a waterspout, a whirling column of air and water mist. The key factor for waterspout formation is warm water—and the past year has seen the ocean surface heat up to record-breaking temperatures , in part due to climate change.

“If this rate of warming is going to be continuing in the future, it’s very possible these phenomena will be common and not rare,” says Michalis Sioutas, a meteorology PhD who studies waterspouts in Greece and is a board member of the Hellenic Meteorological Society. “It’s very possible to talk about waterspouts or even tornadoes and extreme storms becoming common.”

The 180-foot Bayesian sank in a matter of minutes after being caught in a sudden storm with strong winds and intense lightning at around 4 am on Monday. Fifteen people who had been aboard were rescued, and one person was found dead. Six people are missing, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, who was recently cleared of fraud charges over the sale of his company to Hewlett-Packard. On Wednesday, the bodies of five people were recovered from the sunken ship but have yet to be identified.

Fishermen saw a waterspout near the yacht shortly before it sank, and a nearby schooner was tossed about by what its captain, Karsten Borner, called a “hurricane gust,” which he believes capsized the Bayesian . Experts have said the conditions were ripe for a waterspout.

This extreme weather phenomenon occurs when warm, moist air rises rapidly over water, spinning as winds change direction at different heights. The result is a long, bending funnel of spray between the water and the clouds, tapering off as it rises as much as 10,000 feet into the heavens.

It comes in two flavors. The more vanilla kind is a fair weather waterspout , which forms in relatively calm and even sunny conditions, often under a billowy cumulus cloud. It happens more often in places like the Great Lakes and the Florida Keys, reaches wind speeds of 50 miles per hour, and usually breaks up before it can cause significant damage.

Then there are severe waterspouts, essentially tornadoes over water, which “are another beast” entirely, according to Wade Szilagyi, a retired forecaster at the Meteorological Service of Canada who now directs the International Center for Waterspout Research. These tornadic waterspouts can move from land to water, or vice versa, and twist at 125 miles per hour or more. They’ve been known to throw debris, rip apart buildings, and overturn boats.

A waterspout documented by Sioutas in Methoni, Greece, in 2004 picked up a boat and sent it sailing through the air, striking and killing a 10-year-old boy. Last year, a sudden storm and waterspout with winds of over 40 miles per hour overturned a tourist boat carrying off-duty intelligence agents on Italy’s Lake Maggiore, killing four. Sioutas says waterspouts can even generate “massive water displacements similar to tsunamis,” citing the gigantic waves that struck the coast of the Greek island of Samos during a 2004 cyclone, tossing boulders like toys.

Tornadic waterspouts spring up only in stormy weather with strong winds, lightning, and sometimes hail, and are the product of two main ingredients: wind shear and rising, unstable air. The process begins when masses of cold and warm air collide. This brings together winds from different directions that start to spin around each other, creating vortices. If a thunderstorm also converges in the area, it can provide the instability, sucking warm air up into itself at dizzying speeds. Over water, it starts carrying moisture up as well. Szilagyi compares the waterspout’s development to a twirling figure skater.

“You can think of the skater, if she just spins around normally, that’s like the little vortex that’s already started,” he says. “But if she brings her arms in, then that’s like the column of that unstable warm air, pulling, stretching that vortex upward. She starts to spin faster.”

Waterspouts have been known and feared since ancient times. In the 1550s in Malta, a waterspout plowed through the harbor of Valletta, reportedly destroying an armada of warships and killing hundreds of people. It’s even thought that old stories of fish or frogs raining down on land may be the product of waterspouts sweeping the creatures up into the clouds.

Now global warming may be supercharging the phenomenon. The International Panel on Climate Change has not found a definite link—there hasn’t been much research into how climate change may be affecting waterspouts—but experts say that the conditions for waterspouts to form are happening more often. A 2022 study of 234 waterspouts in the Spanish Mediterranean over the past three decades found that they were more likely to break out when the sea surface was warmer, especially above 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). And water temperatures are now at unprecedented levels.

Last year was the warmest on record for the ocean. The heat content of the upper 6,500 feet of the seas was the highest ever seen. The seas broke temperature records every single day between May 2023 and May 2024. Marine heat waves struck areas from Antarctica to the Mediterranean.

“Warmer oceans have more energy and more humidity to transfer to the atmosphere, the most important fuels for storms,” says Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society. “The contrast of warm sea and colder air that flows over energizes vertical winds that could result in downbursts or waterspouts.” (A downburst is a powerful cascade of wind and rain from a thundercloud.)

That perfect storm of waterspout conditions hit Italy around the time the Bayesian sank. In recent days, a mass of high-level cold air has swept down from the Alps and over the country’s western coast, meeting the exceptionally warm air just above the sea surface. Four days before the Bayesian went down, sea surface temperatures were the hottest ever recorded across the Mediterranean Sea, with a daily median of 28.71 degrees Celsius. The ocean near where the Bayesian was anchored has reached almost 30 degrees Celsius this week, four degrees higher than the 20-year summer average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Cold and warm air clashed. Winds started spinning, and overheated water provided the ingredient of instability needed for a waterspout outbreak. As a result, a total of 28 waterspouts were documented off the western coast of Italy from August 17 to August 20, according to the International Center for Waterspout Research.

The total number of waterspouts reported has been increasing in recent years, although a major factor has been that more people are able to capture them with phone cameras and post them on social media, Szilagyi says. But he says that warming waters and a longer waterspout season due to climate change are also contributing. In particular, he believes the number of severe waterspouts are on the rise.

“With the increased water temperatures, that’s probably resulting in more frequent tornadic waterspouts,” Szilagyi says. “There’s no scientific evidence yet that they’re getting even stronger. It’s just that they’re becoming more frequent.”

Warming sea waters are also expected to boost other extreme weather events like Mediterranean hurricanes, or “medicanes,” one of which contributed to the flash flood that killed thousands of people in Libya last year .

In this brave new world, countries need to improve early-warning systems and invest more in research to forecast and observe trends in waterspouts, scientists say. “We have to prepared for more dangerous waterspouts possibly in the future,” Sioutas says. “Significantly warmer waters contribute very significantly to the creation of waterspouts, especially the violent ones.”

Updated 8-22-2024 1:15 pm BST: A previous version of the story stated that the ship’s mast had snapped; this detail has been removed as damage to the mast has not been confirmed.

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