Superyacht catastrophe’s 5 unanswered questions from mast dimension to security measures

As five bodies have been pulled from the Bayesian superyacht wreck, questions remain over how a leisurely jaunt turned into a tragic nightmare.

The luxurious boat went down in freak weather off the Sicilian coast in the early hours of Monday, August 19.

A nearby sailboat rescued the 15 passengers who scrambled onto a lifeboat were rescued, as divers raced against time to find the six people still unaccounted for.

READ MORE: Chilling ‘fatalities’ text sent by passenger aboard doomed Bayesian yacht

Click for more of the latest news from the Daily Star .

The search ended in further heartbreak, as divers recovered five bodies from Bayesian’s wreck.

These have been identified as the remains of British tech tycoon and superyacht owner Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Lynch’s 19-years old daughter Hannah remains missing.

As divers continue to search for the sixth and final passenger, we take a look at the mystery surrounding the disaster, and whether tragedy struck due to technical failures, freak weather or human error.

Were access hatches left open?

When the mini tornado battered the Bayesian, the superyacht sunk in just a few minutes.

At the time, Karsten Borner, who captained the boat that rescued the 15 passengers from the lifeboat said: “I have never seen a vessel of this size go down so quickly. Within a few minutes, there was nothing left”, reports The Guardian.

Polytechnic University of Milan nautical design professor Andrea Ratti, said that a boat that size could only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water, reports The Independent.

He also suggested that portholes, windows and other openings could have been broken or smashed open by the force storm.

Was the Baysian keel functioning properly?

A yacht’s keel, the fin-like part under the hull keeps the boat stable and upright. In theory, a yacht with a functioning keel should be able to self correct it’s position in the water, reducing the risk of sinking reports MailOnline. However the Baysian’s keel failed to keep the vessel upright.

Turns out the boat has as retractable keel, which may not have been fully lowered when the storm hit, making it less stable.

Did the Bayesain’s mast have anything to do with the tragedy?

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the Bayesian boasts a 246ft mast which claims to be the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

Scott Painter, who took over Lynch’s tech company Autonomy believes the mast made the yacht more vulnerable to catastrophe.

He said: “That mast must’ve been over 240 feet tall, which is either the tallest or second tallest in the world.

“That could certainly contribute to a capsize as it would destabilize the yacht. And if it were to lean over too far, it could absolutely capsize the yacht.”

Captain Borner bluntly added: “ If the mast had been snapped, they wouldn’t have capsized.”

Why weren’t safety measures activated?

With heavy rain forecasted, the Bayesian’s crew should have ensured all passengers were awake and given them life jackets, however, the MailOnline reports its assumed onboard guests were asleep, and in their cabins, when the tragedy hit.

An unnamed engineer from the Italian Sea Group which owns Perini Navi, told Italian media that there was “plenty of time” to ready the passengers for an emergency evacuation. They said: “Even with the whirlwind arriving… Fifteen minutes would have been enough to activate all the safety measures.”

Was the boat prepared for extreme weather?

The boat’s captain James Catfield said the creek and sudden waterspout turned the yacht into “deathtrap”, reports The Independent.

“We just didn’t see it coming,” he told Italian media.

This apparent lack of readiness for bad weather have left experts puzzled. Although the storm was fiercer than expected, the Italian coastguard said bad weather was forecasted. MailOnline reports one expert said: “I am surprised that they were not tracking this extreme weather pattern as it moved across the Mediterranean.”

The unnamed expert then pointed out that a large yacht had been damaged in Majorca a few days earlier, as multiple reports of foul winds and storms moving south east started coming in.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .