‘We didn’t see it coming’: Bayesian superyacht captain breaks silence as freak tornado sank vessel in just 12 minutes
THE captain of the Bayesian superyacht has broken his silence after the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily.
The luxury yacht was hit by a tornado yesterday off the coast of the Italian island at about 5am local time.
The boat sank just a couple hundred metres off the shore to the ocean floor 50m below the waves.
Those on board said the mast collapsed in stormy weather causing glass the shatter everywhere, snapping the mast, and the boat to capsize.
Witness said a 12-minute waterspout had struck the boat, bringing a furious vortex against the vessel.
The ship’s captain James Calfield, 51, spoke from hospital yesterday and said had no idea the tornado was coming towards the ship.
“We didn’t see it coming,” he told La Repubblica.
Others told Italian outlet Ansa that the anchor was down when the storm hit on Monday morning, causing the ship to lose its balance.
Some 22 horrified passengers, made up of passengers and staff, screamed in fear as the boat flipped over.
The body of one man, the boat’s chef, has been found near the destroyed ship.
Fifteen people were rescued from the water, including a one-year-old British girl, whose mum held her above her head before they were saved.
Mike Lynch, previously dubbed “the British Bill Gates”, was hosting a party on the boat along with his wife and daughter.
Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said 200kmh winds could be felt over Sunday through Monday.
He described the weather as: “A so-called funnel cloud forms, generating winds of up to 200kmh which can create a water spout at sea by sucking water into the air.
“The event can be restricted to a few hundred metres and be over in ten minutes.”
The Bayesian has the highest aluminium mast in the world with experts believing the height could have caused the vessel to tip over.
A one-year-old British girl named Sophia was rescued by her mother Charoltte Golunski in the sea after the sinking before they were rushed to hospital.
Golunski spoke about the frantic rescue, telling Giornale di Sicilia: “For two seconds I lost the baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amidst the fury of the waves.
“I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy. Many were screaming.
“I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.
“Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board.”
MOST PASSENGERS FROM UK
The majority of passengers were understood to be from the UK.
Citizens from New Zealand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the US and two dual British-French nationals were also on board.
Eight of those rescued were receiving treatment in hospital last night, according to the Italian Coastguard. None was thought to be in a serious condition.
Among the injured are the Kiwis lawyer Ayla Ronald and captain James Catfield, 51; Sasha Murray, 29, of Ireland; and Myin Kyaw Htun, 39, from Myanmar.
Who are the six still missing from the Bayesian yacht tragedy?
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
THE BAYESIAN superyacht was hosting a lavish party for 12 guests, with 10 crew also onboard.
After 15 people were rescued from the water on Monday, six people remain missing and one has been found dead.
Italian authorities said the man recovered near the yacht wreckage was the chef working onboard.
Four of the missing are British and two are American.
Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, are among the four Brits lost at sea.
International chairman of bank giant Morgan Stanley, Brit Jonathan Bloomer, 70, is also missing along with his wife Judy.
As is top New York lawyer Chris Morvillo, a solicitor at major firm Clifford Chance who worked for Mike Lynch, and his wife Nada.