Bayesian superyacht captain James Cutfield recovering in hospital after escape as six passengers still missing
THE CAPTAIN of the doomed Bayesian superyacht is recovering in hospital, his brother has said.
James Cutfield, 51, managed to escape from the vessel as it plunged to the bottom of the ocean.
Six passengers are still missing including the “UK’s Bill Gates” Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18.
Cutfield, from New Zealand, was one of the 15 survivors of the boat that sank in a storm off the coast of Porticello, Sicily.
He admitted that the crew “didn’t see it coming’ when the water tornado struck the ship in the early hours.
His wife Cristina has flown to be with him in Italy.
Cutfield had captained luxury yachts for eight years and had previously worked on building them for 30 years.
Before working for Mr Lynch, he worked for a Turkish billionaire.
Italian media originally named him as “Catfield” – before his family corrected his name in the press in New Zealand.
It comes as…
- ‘UK’s Bill Gates’ Mike Lynch & his daughter Hannah, 18, remain missing on the wreck
- Also missing are Jonathan Bloomer, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo and Neda Morvillo
- Lynch’s wife revealed how she was awoken by a ’tilt’ as the yacht sank
- The captain of the Bayesian broke his silence on the horror storm
- Experts believe the yacht’s ‘tallest mast in the world‘ may have contributed to the disaster
- Pictures showed the tiny raft that saved up to 15 people
- Frantic text messages from the survivors revealed the chaos
Cutfield’s brother Mark told the NZ Herald his brother was a “very good sailor”.
And he added he was “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.
Mark said the captain is currently recovering in hospital, but managed to escape with injuries that were not “too dramatic”.
Rescuers are today entering day three of the search – with them sending in an underwater robot to probe the wreck.
Divers have been hampered by time crunches, narrow entrances and floating debris on the boat as they battle to get inside the cabins where they believe the six people are.
As well as Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Jonathan and Judy Bloomer are also missing – along with Chris and Neda Morvillo.
The 184ft Bayesian sunk was struck by a twister-like waterspout during extreme weather early on Monday morning and sank some 164ft to the bottom of the sea.
Fifteen people were rescued from the doomed boat as it sank, with the yacht chef later found dead.
It comes as officials have launched an investigation into the tragedy to establish whether crew on the boat are criminally liable.
One expert at the scene in Sicily told reporters an early focus would be on whether the access hatches into the vessel were closed before the tornado struck.
Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, also said that, in light of the weather warnings, the crew should have woken the guests and given them life jackets.
Prosecutors will also examine whether measures such as the use of yacht’s retractable keel, which adds extra stability and acts as a counterweight to the large mast, were deployed.