Latest on Mike Lynch’s Yacht: Divers smash window in hull hours before crucial Bayesian search

The Bayzian sank after being hit by a “violent storm.” The Italian coast guard said bad weather had been expected, but added that the storm was more severe than expected. Some locals spoke of a whirlwind or sea storm of exceptional force. The Bayzian was anchored with its sails lowered when the storm hit, and another yacht was moored nearby.

The nearby yacht, the 42-metre Sir Robert Baden-Powell, remained at anchor and survived the storm after its captain turned on the engine to maintain control and avoid colliding with the Baysian. Captain Karsten Borner said he did not know whether the Baysian’s crew had managed to start its engines. “I just know that they went down with the mast in the water and that they went down in two minutes,” he said.

A boat the size of Baez could only have sunk so quickly by a massive influx of water, suggesting that one or more of the boat’s portholes, windows or other openings may have been smashed or crushed by the water hose, said Andrea Ratti, professor of naval design at Milan Polytechnic University.

There was also media speculation that a main hatch had been left open inadvertently. However, fire department diver Marco Tilotta told daily Il Messaggero that the wreck was “apparently intact” – although only half of the hull was visible to divers.

One industry expert in Britain said it would have taken several hours for the Bayzi to fill with enough water to sink it, making its rapid demise incomprehensible.

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, which said it had the world’s longest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres (230 feet). However, Ratti and a second expert, structural engineer Filippo Matteoni, said the unusually tall mast was not in itself a vulnerability in a storm. Both were skeptical of the theory that the broken mast caused damage to the hull when otherwise the boat would not have capsized.

The Bayesian yacht had a retractable keel—the fin-like structure under the hull that helps stabilize boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast. Both Ratti and Mattioni wondered whether the yacht had been anchored with the keel up, reducing its depth underwater and making it less stable. Ratti said the boat might have started to swing violently, in strong winds, putting extraordinary stress on the mast. But even if that had broken it, “that in itself is not enough to justify sinking,” he said.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the disaster. Their case is likely to take several months to complete.

A neighbor of Mike Lynch said she was “terrified” to learn he was missing after his yacht sank in a hurricane.

Ruth Lee, from Pettistree in Suffolk, said she knew the family had Bayesian disease, but when she heard the news, she said: “I couldn’t believe it, I thought this can’t be true.”

“It’s horrible, it’s the worst news,” the 57-year-old writer and author added.

She said they had been neighbors for about 15 years and that “from the beginning [Mr Lynch] “He was a great neighbor.”

“Although he was incredibly wealthy and a very important person, he never gave that impression,” Ms. Lee said.

“Whenever he met you, he always remembered your name, he would talk to you, and he was very friendly and humble, which we thought was a great quality. He was a really good neighbor.”

Mike Lynch’s neighbour Ruth Lee said the business mogul was a “very charitable man” and would be speaking at the village church on Remembrance Sunday.

Mrs Lee, from Pettistree in Suffolk, said: “You would see him driving by and he would always wave, say hello and use your name.

“Once a year he would host a party on the lawn and we would all go.

“He’s a really nice guy. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but for a man in his position, he could have been very respectful, but he wasn’t, he got involved.

He would come to speak at the church in the village on Memorial Sunday.

“He was a very charitable man, he gave a lot of his time and effort, which was good. We had a very positive opinion of him.”

Mike Lynch, 59, is one of the UK’s most famous technology entrepreneurs. He founded Autonomy, the country’s largest software company, and has been referred to as the UK’s Bill Gates.

In 2011, Lynch sold his company to HP for $11 billion, after which the deal collapsed spectacularly as the US tech giant accused him of fraud, leading to a lengthy trial. Lynch was eventually acquitted by a San Francisco jury in June.

Lynch faces more than 20 years in prison in the United States if convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges.

An expert at the disaster site, who declined to be named, said the initial focus of the official investigation would be on whether the yacht’s crew had closed the ship’s access hatches before the storm hit.

Investigators will look into whether appropriate measures were taken, given the forecast for bad weather overnight.

Morvillo thanked his legal team and family, and concluded his speech with very moving words.

“Finally, a huge thank you to my wonderful, patient wife Nida Morvillo, and my two strong, wonderful, beautiful daughters Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo,” he wrote. “None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so happy to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…”

Morvillo is a partner at Clifford Chance, a law firm specializing in employment matters with offices on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He previously served as a federal prosecutor investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to New York Post.

Rescue teams diving through the wreckage of the Bayezid managed to enter the yacht’s hull by smashing a glass window, according to local reports.

A local blacksmith made levers that were used to break the 3cm-thick glass, with firefighting divers then able to access the ship’s common areas through the gap, the Giornale di Sicilia reported Tuesday.

However, she added that they have not reached the cabins yet, which is expected to take some time as the entrances may be blocked.

The boat is reportedly leaning on its right side, making the operation more difficult.

Rescue teams trying to reach the sunken Baysman yacht may be hearing a temporary knocking sound, a senior university lecturer said.

A marine diving and wreck expert also warned that teams would have to make a “big choice” as they ramp up their efforts.

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