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Who Owns That Superyacht?

Perhaps the most frequently asked question of me is “Who Owns That Superyacht?”

Generally speaking I know the answer but often given the way the industry works it is best to answer’ “I don’t know!”

But for those who really persist, I am glad I can point them in the direction of a source that is second to none when it comes to knowing who owns that Superyacht.

The website www.Superyachtfan.com is the place to head for. The comprehensive database they hold means that now anyone can identify who owns that Superyacht

Keeping up with who owns what when it comes to superyachts, can be difficult.  It’s not that we want to publicise the information because unless the information is common knowledge we do not do so, but nevertheless as experts its good to stay in touch with every aspect of the industry.

On www.Superyachtfan.com you will find information about the largest superyacht’s in the world and the wealthy folk who own them.

The site owners say it is constantly updated with the latest information about superyachts and superyacht owners and they ask that if you have any information or update about a superyacht or it’s owner, you should send them an  e-mail .

The site carries a disclaimer which says: The details about superyacht ownership as stated on this site are mostly based on rumors. In almost no case actual yacht ownership by the private individual mentioned can be proved. But it is a good place to start if you really want to know.

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All about the $40m bayesian yacht that capsized, leaving 6 dead and 1 still missing.

The massive superyacht Bayesian that sank off the coast of Italy on Monday won numerous awards for its sleek interior design — and was sold to its original owner for nearly $40 million.

The luxury sailing ship was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank during a fierce storm early Monday.

The bodies of five of six missing passengers, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , 69, have been recovered. His daughter, 18-year-old Hannah, is the only one of six known killed in the tragedy yet to be found, a source close to the rescue operation told Reuters.

The ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, has also been confirmed dead.

Divers continued searching the wreckage of the 184-foot-long, British-flagged vessel, previously called Salute, on Wednesday after discovering four of the bodies.

When it was built in 2008, the Bayesian had the tallest aluminum mast in the world, standing at 237 feet, earning it the award for best exterior styling at the World Superyacht Awards in 2009, the Telegraph reported.

The sprawling superyacht’s interior, decorated with sleek, minimalist furnishings created by Remi Tessier, has also won numerous awards.

The ship, which accommodated 12 guests, had a master bedroom and three double and two twin bedrooms.

It also featured beige sofas, dark wood furnishings, and a teak deck equipped with a large canvas awning to keep guests cool, according to the outlet.

Some of the ship’s styling, including thin brown pillars and miniature terra cotta sculptures, was inspired by Japanese culture.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
• Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage,  according to the Telegraph . 
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the  Bayesian sank Monday  shows it disappearing.
• A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the  Bayesian’s speedy demise , maritime experts say.

The extravagant ship won best interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards in 2008 and was also voted one of the best large sailing yachts at the 2009 World Superyacht Awards, according to the outlet.

The yacht’s original owner, John Groenewoud, a Dutch real estate developer, reportedly bought the ship for £30 million ($39 million) when it was built. In 2014, he sold the ship with an asking price of £27 million ($35 million).

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The Bayesian is currently owned by Revtom, a company that listed Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, as its legal owner.

It was named after the Bayesian statistical model that helps financial investors calculate risk — the subject of Lynch’s PhD that later helped him build his empire.

The vessel, operated by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons, had twin 965hp MTU engines, which gave it a range of 3,600 nautical miles at 13 to 15 knots (14 to 17 mph).

RSB Rigging carried out rig service works on the ship with Astilleros de Mallorca, a shipyard facility in Palma, in November 2016.

The Bayesian returned in September 2020 for scheduled service works, including having its mast removed and reinstalled.

Steve Branagh, managing director of RSB Rigging, told the Telegraph: “At this time, our deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of all those affected by this dreadful tragedy.”

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The world’s second largest superyacht BLUE begins sea trials

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By Steph Loseby   7 April 2022

Measuring around 160m (525ft), the luxury mega yacht BLUE has left Lürssen’s facilities in Bremen to begin sea trials.

First hitting the water in February 2022 when she made her way to the Bremen facilities for final fit-out, the superyacht is now heading to the North Sea to start her sea trials.

BLUE boasts an impressive volume of 15,320 GT ranking her the second-largest yacht in the world in terms of gross tonnage. She follows shortly behind superyacht DILBAR , who tonnage wise, is the biggest superyacht ever launched with a total volume of 15,917 GT.

While much of the project is still shrouded in secrecy, we do know that superyacht BLUE features naval architecture by Lürssen and that Terence Disdale Design created her sharp-looking exterior and interior design. 

All of the four upper decks feature a sizable alfresco entertaining area and there is also a swimming platform connected to a beach club on board, providing guests with seamless access to the water. Images of the megayacht also reveal a pair of helicopter landing sites; a large helideck at the bow and a smaller helipad aft. 

Expected to be completed later this year, her sea trials mark one step closer to her long-awaited delivery.

Instagram credits: @loriansmith

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Mike Lynch yacht latest: Two more crew under investigation as Bayesian captain refuses to answer questions

LIVE – Updated at 18:18

Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter after seven people died when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

It comes as the captain of the boat has “exercised his right to remain silent” as he faced further questioning from Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking of billionaire Mike Lynch’s superyacht , according to his lawyer.

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges and was questioned for the third time by the Termini Imerese prosecutors on Tuesday.

“The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons,” lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters. “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defence case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”

Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow. It is still unclear whether other individuals will also be placed under investigation.

It comes amid tributes for the owner of the British-flagged vessel Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer , his wife Judith Bloomer , Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, who all died in the disaster.

Two more crew members from Bayesian under investigation

• Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’, lawyer says
• Captain under investigation after sinking of Lynch’s yacht, judicial source says
• Timeline of the Bayesian luxury yacht disaster
• Tribute to ‘genius’ storyteller Mike Lynch

Pictured: British crew member being investigated after yacht tragedy

Three people are being investigated by the Italian authorities for manslaughter after the sinking of the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily.

Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton, is one of the two British crew members now also being investigated.

A source told Reuters that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems.

Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

Five found in same cabin while Hannah Lynch found alone in another, according to reports

Five corpses were all found in the same cabin on the Bayesian while the body of Hannah Lynch was found alone in another, according to Italian officials.

The five people that rescue divers found together appeared to have gathered in the first cabin on the left of the superyacht in an attempt to escape, reported  The Telegraph , while the 18-year-old was discovered in the third cabin on the left on her own.

Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, a senior officer from the fire service, said on Saturday: “The yacht tended to the right and obviously the bodies tried to go to the other side and take refuge in their cabins. We found five bodies in a cabin on the left and another one in the third cabin on the left. They were in the higher part of the shipwreck.”

Who was on the Bayesian?

The sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily made headlines across the world, with interest rising when it was revealed that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among those onboard.

It then emerged that the boat trip was a celebration by Mr Lynch with friends, colleagues and his legal team after he won a decade-long legal battle.

Here we explain who was onboard the ship during the tragedy:

Mike Lynch yacht latest: Two crew investigated as Bayesian captain refuses questions

What are investigators focusing on?

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched on Saturday.

He said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, and the yacht’s manufacturer.

The Bayesian, a 184ft (56m) British-flagged luxury yacht, went down near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy last Monday.

Investigators are focusing on how a vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed.

Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” - a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

The crew were saved, apart from the chef, while six passengers were trapped in the hull.

Watch: Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss

Why did the bayesian sink.

Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in  Italy , a sailing expert has said.

Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, believes the vessel’s huge mast is also likely to have contributed to the deadly event.

Mr Jefferson told the PA news agency: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.

“The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge.

“It acted almost like a sail. (It) pushed the boat hard over on its side.

“(The boat) filled with water before it could right.

“This is all speculation, but that’s the only logical explanation.”

Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says

The captain of the Bayesian yacht chose not to respond to prosecutors’ questions as he was spoken to for a third time on Tuesday, his lawyer has said.

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt or mean that charges will necessarily follow. Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio has said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

The Times  reported one of Mr Cutfield’s lawyers as saying that the captain is “understandably very shaken up” after the ordeal last Monday.

Who is being investigated?

On Monday, the boats 51-year-old captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, was put under investigation. He declined to respond to prosecutors during questioning on Tuesday

Two British crew members are now also being investigated. Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are being investigated over the same crimes.

How Mike Lynch’s inner circle celebrated end of billionaire’s 13 year court battle

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.

After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.

Read the full article here:

Who was on Bayesian and how they were celebrating end of Mike Lynch’s court battles

Read the full story: Two more crew members under investigation

Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter, including the ship engineer and sailor.

A source said that Tim Parker Easton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems, while Matthew Griffith was on watch duty on the night of the incident.

Read the full article from Tara Cobham here:

Two more crew members under investigation over sinking of superyacht Bayesian

Investigation will consider every possible element

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

The legal team have also said their investigation would take time and required the wreck of the Bayesian superyacht to be salvaged from the sea. It is currenlty lying on its right side, at a depth of around 50 metres (164 feet).

Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter after seven people were killed when the superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily last week.

A judicial source said on Wednesday that Italian prosecutors are probing two more crew members in connection with the vessel’s sinking, along with its captain, after the British-flagged Bayesian capsized on 19 August while anchored off northern Sicily .

Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are both also being investigated over the same crimes. The source said that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems, while Griffith was on watch duty on the night of the incident.

Pausing coverage

Good evening, that’s all for today on our coverage.

What happened when boat started sinking

The Bayesian sent its last signal before sinking via the tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS) at 0206 GMT, according to the MarineTraffic website.

Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said a red flare alerting rescue services about the emergency was fired into the sky at 0238 GMT, more than 30 minutes after the boat had gone down.

The head of Palermo’s Fire Brigade, Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the boat sank from the stern and is lying on its starboard side at a depth of around 50 metres (164 feet).

In the yacht, the bodies of the dead were found in the cabins on the left-hand side of the boat, where the passengers may have tried to search for remaining bubbles of air, he added.

Prosecutor Cammarano said the passengers were all probably asleep at the time of the storm which was why they failed to escape.

The Bayesian captain’s legal team

The Bayesian captain James Cutfield was asked to appoint a lawyer after questioning by Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking of the yacht on Sunday.

The 51-year-old has been placed under investigation for possible manslaughter and shipwreck, according to his lawyer Aldo Mordiglia.

Mr Mordiglia is one of two lawyers who are representing the New Zealander. The other is Palermo lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti.

According to Italian media reports, Mr Mordiglia, from Genoa, is specialised in maritime and international law.

The captain of the Bayesian yacht chose not to respond to prosecutors’ questions as he was spoken to for a third time on Tuesday, his lawyer has said.

The Times reported one of Mr Cutfield’s lawyers as saying that the captain is “understandably very shaken up” after the ordeal last Monday.

Giselda Vagnoni has more in this report:

Lawyer gives update on investigation into captain of superyacht that sank off Sicily

Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in Italy , a sailing expert has said.

Bayesian now an ‘environmental bomb'

Reports in Italy are emerging about the sunken Bayesian with divers from the coast guard beginning to film the wreck under the request of the prosecutor as the investigation gathers pace.

There are also concerns over the 18,000 litres of fuel and oil reportedly still on the boat.

Speaking to local outlet Corriere Della Sera, a fisherman said: “It is an environmental bomb at the bottom of our sea.”

Mass for the victims

In case you missed it over the bank holiday weekend, a mass for the victims of the Bayesian tragedy was held in Porticello on Sunday.

Flowers were also sent into the sea as a mark of tribute to those who died.

Boat was ‘one of the safest in the world’

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker. It featured the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres, but early reports that the mast broke in the storm have so far proven unfounded.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said the yacht was “one of the safest boats in the world” and basically unsinkable.

He alleged that the sinking was due to a chain of human errors given that the storm was expected. He made his assertions partly based on data from the Automatic Identification System. The captain and other crew members have not spoken publicly about the disaster and attempts by Reuters to reach them have been unsuccessful.

Costantino said that had the crew shut all doors and hatches, turned on the engine, lifted the anchor, lowered the keel and turned the yacht to face the wind, it would have suffered no damage.

He added that data showed it took 16 minutes from when the wind began buffeting the yacht, and it began taking on water, for it to sink.

Nothing wrong with the Bayesian being moored offshore - say coast guard

The Bayesian was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it sank in the pre-dawn dark amid a very severe and sudden weather event.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said on Saturday the event was most likely a “downburst”, a very strong downward wind that is an intense but relatively frequent event at sea, rather than a waterspout which involves rotating winds like a tornado.

The coast guard have also said that given the weather forecast, there was nothing wrong about the Bayesian being moored offshore rather than at sheltering at port. Another yacht anchored nearby emerged from the storm unharmed.

Twenty-two people were on board, and 15 survived, including nine out of 10 crew members as well as Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the Bayesian. They were found on a life raft.

Six out of the 12 passengers died. Prosecutors, who have put the yacht’s captain James Cutfield under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, said the ship would have to be pulled out of the water before the investigation could be concluded.

Puzzlement over sinking

The sinking has puzzled seafarers and nautical engineers, who have said that it should have taken hours for the Bayesian to fill up with enough water to sink it, making its swift demise incomprehensible.

There have been suggestions that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been inadvertently left open by the crew, or broken or smashed by the storm, letting in water.

Experts also wondered if the yacht had been moored with its keel up, potentially compromising its stability. The keel is a fin-like stabilising structure under the hull, which can be partially lifted to reduce the depth of the boat in shallow waters or harbours.

Prosecutors have said it was too early to comment on either hypothesis. They also said crew members were not immediately tested for alcohol or drugs because they were in a state of shock when rescued.

Captain of Bayesian under investigation - recap

The captain of the Bayesian is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck , a judicial source has said, as the probe into the sinking of the superyacht in a storm off Sicily continues.

Italian prosecutors have placed James Cutfield under investigation over the deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six other people , the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters on Monday, confirming earlier reports by Italian media.

Being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow. Notices to people under investigation need to be sent out before authorities can carry out the autopsies on the bodies of the dead.

Bayesian captain ‘investigated for manslaughter’ as probe into sinking continues

Mike Lynch’s wife leaves Sicily

Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors of the sunked Bayesian.

Her husband and 18-year-old daughter Hannah, however, were among the seven people who died.

Many of the survivors have stayed in Italy as authorities try to work out what happened onboard ahead of the sinking last week.

But on Sunday, Ms Bacares reportedly left Sicily along with other survivors in a private jet.

Bayesian captain ‘deeply affected’ by ordeal

James Cutfield, 51, the captain of the tragic Bayesian, faces further questioning from prosecutors in Italy today after he was placed under investigation for possible manslaughter and shipwreck.

One of his lawyers, Giovanni Rizzuti, told the Guardian on Monday: “Our client is deeply affected by this ordeal.”

“We are currently assessing, with other legal representatives, the defence strategy and examining the technical aspects of the case.”

Bayesian captain facing further questioning from prosecutors on Tuesday

Prosecutors in Italy continue to investigate the captain of a superyacht that sank during a storm off Sicily last week.

James Cutfield, the 51-year-old New Zealand national who was captain of the Bayesian, was among 15 survivors of the August 19 sinking that killed British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others.

Mr Cutfield is being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, said lawyer Aldo Mordiglia, one of two attorneys appointed for the captain’s defence.

Mr Mordiglia said Mr Cutfield, who already has been questioned, would be questioned again by prosecutors on Tuesday. He declined to discuss the strategy for the defence.

Under Italian law, being under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily lead to criminal charges.

On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched.

New York lawyer who died in yacht disaster wrote haunting LinkedIn post weeks before

A lawyer who died after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily wrote a haunting post on LinkedIn two months before he joined the doomed voyage.

In one of his only posts on the site, Christopher Morvillo, 59, thanked his legal team after they helped British tech tycoon Mike Lynch win a fraud trial and discussed living “happily ever after.”

Graig Graziosi and Mike Bedigan report:

NYC lawyer who died in yacht disaster wrote haunting LinkedIn post weeks before

What is a downburst?

Officials said the superyacht had been hit by a downburst and the Italian officials said they would be looking at how it could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels, according to the translation of the conference.

A downburst is an intense burst of wind at ground level emenating from the strong downdraft of a thunderstorm; the wind often blows radially from a point source, as opposed to the rotating winds associated with a tornado.

Downbursts usually last just a few minutes, and can be particularly dangerous for aviation.

They have been blamed for a number of air crashes over the years, although the risk tends to be well forecast by meteorologists allowing pilots to avoid them.

Ex-court appointed guard says Mike Lynch ‘became more like a family’

A court-appointed armed guard, tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not abscond while facing fraud charges, has paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.

Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah.

Mr Igno said he had the “privilege” of spending “almost every waking moment” with Mr Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco, describing the detail as unlike any other he had ever worked and one that was “life changing”.

“As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, don’t ever get close to the principal,” he said.

“They aren’t your friends, they’re a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didn’t fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.”

Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss

Why was mike lynch’s yacht named the bayesian.

Autonomy, the software firm which Mike Lynch sold in a £8.64bn deal in 2011, was a pioneer of business data analysis, using machine learning and what Mr Lynch called “adaptive pattern recognition”.

It used a statistical method called “Bayesian inference” at the heart of its software, devised by the 18th-century mathematician Thomas Bayes.

The yacht’s name, Bayesian , harks to the same model that was at the heart of Autonomy’s – and Mr Lynch’s – success.

How did Mike Lynch make his money?

Once dubbed the “British Bill Gates”, Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares were valued at £852m in 2023 by the Sunday Times Rich List.

The 59-year-old tech tycoon is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and had been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.

My colleague Barney Davis has more details:

Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money

Watch: Captain details Bayesian sinking 'within two minutes' after rescuing survivors

In focus | how the world of yachts got supersized.

The sinking of the 56-metre yacht Bayesian and the tragic deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his guests and boat staff have given the public a glimpse into the rarefied world of superyachts, writes Boat Internationa l’s Lucy Dunn .

From the sheer size of the mast (74 metres, roughly the size of seven two-storey houses stacked on top of each other) to the expense ( Bayesian was put up for sale in 2014 with an asking price of $30m, which is around £23m), to the sheer luxury (the interiors were by Remi Tessier, the designer behind Claridge’s new penthouse), it’s a world few people normally get to see.

There are currently 12,626 superyachts on the water around the world with 1,166 superyachts in build or on order. If you have been to a Greek island this year, or maybe the Amalfi coast, you may have glimpsed them coming in and out of harbours and wondered who owns a yacht like that. Or who can afford to charter a yacht like that – which have an average price of around £180,000 a week.

While you may think of glossy influencers and A-listers, the superyachting fraternity is where millionaires are sorted from the billionaires from the centi-billionaires; the 0.001 per centers. Rarely will you find a celebrity with the financial clout to afford a yacht owned by Lynch, these are generally under-the-radar industry titans who don’t have household names.

So, what exactly makes a superyacht super? According to Boat International, where I work, it can be applied to any boat, motor or sailing yacht which is over 24 metres in length. Size, in the superyacht world, is everything – and yachts are getting bigger all the time.

Read the full article with Independent Premium:

Giant masts, moon pools and explorer pods: How the world of yachts got supersized

Friend pays tribute to Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas

Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.

The Canadian-Antiguan national was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat. A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.

She told The Independent: “He was a one-of-a-kind special human being. Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job.”

Bayesian captain to be questioned again on Tuesday, lawyer says

James Cutfield, the 51-year-old New Zealand national who was captain of the Bayesian, is being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, said lawyer Aldo Mordiglia, one of two attorneys appointed for the captain’s defence.

Mr Cutfield, who already has been questioned, will be questioned again by prosecutors on Tuesday, Mordiglia said.

Under Italian laws, being under investigation doesn’t imply any guilt, and doesn’t necessarily lead to criminal charges.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed on Saturday that an investigation had been launched and that his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

Watch: The moment Bayesian yacht was engulfed by storm

Yacht ‘should have taken hours' to fill up with enough water to sink it.

The sinking of the Bayesian has puzzled seafarers and nautical engineers, who have said that it should have taken hours for the yacht to fill up with enough water to sink it, making its swift demise incomprehensible.

Bayesian sank from its stern, fire chief says

The Bayesian sent its last signal before sinking via the tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS) just after 4am local time, according to the MarineTraffic website.

Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said a red flare alerting rescue services about the emergency was fired into the sky more than 30 minutes later.

Hannah Lynch was ‘one of the best English students in the country’, teacher says

Hannah Lynch had just completed her A-levels and secured a place to study English at Oxford University.

Her former English teacher Jon Mitropoulos-Monk said she was “one of the best English students in the country” having scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE.

Patrick Jacob, a family friend, paid tribute to her on Friday, saying: “Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age.

“I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.”

After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mike Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.

Yet a week of sunshine along the Italian coastline would soon turn to horror after the boat capsized shortly before dawn, only offering those onboard a few minutes to get themselves to safety.

My colleagues Rachel Hagan and Jabed Ahmed report:

Prosecutors say powerful wind could have caused the Bayesian’s ‘extremely rapid’ demise

Investigators are reported to be focusing on how the 56-metre luxury yacht Bayesian – a vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi – sank while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed during the storm off the coast of Sicily last Monday.

Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” – a localised, powerful wind which descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

Prosecutors say no suspect identified so far

On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched into the sinking of the superyacht but said a suspect has not been identified.

He said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, and the yacht's manufacturer.

The five people that rescue divers found together appeared to have gathered in the first cabin on the left of the superyacht in an attempt to escape, reported The Telegraph , while the 18-year-old was discovered in the third cabin on the left on her own.

Prosecutors describe Bayesian sinking as ‘extremely rapid’

Prosecutors have described the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht as “extremely rapid” and suggested it could have been caused by a “downburst”.

A downburst is a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah were ‘part of a united, vibrant, loving family’

Family friends of Mike and Hannah Lynch have said the father and daughter were part of a “united, vibrant, loving family” – with the teenager remembered as a “diamond in a sea of stars” and the tech mogul as a brilliant storyteller.

The pair were among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning.

Mr Lynch was the creator of software giant Autonomy and had been cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud related to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Ellie Ng reports:

Teenager who died in superyacht tragedy was ‘a diamond in a sea of stars’

Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18, after they died in the sinking of the luxury superyacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily early on Monday.

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard, after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco , California.

Bayesian captain insisted ‘we didn’t see storm coming'

The captain of the Bayesian insisted he did not see the storm that sank the Bayesian last week.

Speaking of the storm, James Catfield, 51, said on Tuesday: “We didn’t see it coming.”

A judicial official, who asked not to be named, confirmed to Reuters on Monday the earlier reports in Italian media that the New Zealander was being investigated by Italian prosecutors after the superyacht capsized in a tornado off the coast of Sicily last Monday.

Mike Lynch had concerns over Lucy Letby conviction, says former minister

Former cabinet minister Sir David Davis has said that Mike Lynch , the tech mogul who died when his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily last week , was planning to examine the murder conviction of nurse Lucy Letby over concerns about its safety.

Sir David, the former Brexit secretary, has previously told The Independent he plans to spearhead an investigation questioning the conviction of Letby after a number of experts cast doubt over her guilt.

Sir David said he hopes to visit Letby in prison as part of an investigation into whether the serial baby killer may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice . Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences for seven murders and eight attempted murders of babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

My colleague Jabed Ahmed reports:

Mike Lynch had questions over Lucy Letby conviction, says former minister

Mike Lynch’s net worth and how the billionaire made his money

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning

The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and had been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.

He was on the boat, named Bayesian, which sank in bad weather in the early hours of Monday near the Sicilian capital Palermo .

My colleague Barney Davis reports:

Elon Musk was just forced to reveal who really owns X. Here’s the list

Bill Ackman and Sean “Diddy” Combs are among the list of owners of Elon Musk’s X , the social media site formerly known as Twitter .

The platform has been forced to disclose its investors as part of a lawsuit brought by former employees , who are seeking payment of arbitration fees incurred following Musk’s purchase of the site .

Previously, X has argued that its investors were confidential as a matter of “routine practice and policy,” but this week, a federal judge in California ruled to unseal the list of the site’s owners.

Among the nearly 100 owners of the social media giant are some familiar names, both from the world of investment and within the X universe.

Previously, high-profile investors like Fidelity have been connected with X, most notably because  the investment vehicle’s filings implied a 72% drop in the company’s value since Musk took it over.

However, the latest filing reveals the investment behemoth’s backing of the platform, with almost 30 separate Fidelity-linked entities holding stakes in the brand.

This week’s unsealed documents also lay bare the lesser-known stakeholders in the company.

The list seen by  Fortune  reveals the Pershing Square Foundation owns a stake in X. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because of its link to Pershing Square Holdings, founded by billionaire investor Bill Ackman 20 years ago.

Although the foundation of the same name is led by an independent senior leadership team, Ackman and his wife, Neri Oxman,  are co-trustees .

Ackman is a vocal user of X and frequently uses the platform to address other high-profile individuals and entities. He has used it to  debate Shark Tank star Mark Cuban  and raise  questions about the leadership of his alma mater, Harvard University .

Elsewhere on the list of owners is Oracle founder Larry Ellison. The stake in X comes via the Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust, the principal business of which, per an SEC report filed in 2008 and seen by  Fortune , is to “hold the assets and estate of Mr. Ellison.”

The interests of the trust and Oracle bear no relation to each other, the SEC filing adds.

Unlike Ackman, Ellison is not an avid user of the site. Despite having more than 130,000 followers, Ellison has posted twice—once in 2012 and once in 2023.

Another notable name on the list is Sean Combs Capital.

While SEC filings show no matches for the company, the business has previously been linked to the American rapper Diddy—previously known as Puff Daddy—who has launched a number of businesses under his birth name.

These have included the Sean Combs Foundation, Combs Investments, and more recently the umbrella brand for his holdings, Combs Global.

Musk has also managed to attract some royal attention for his endeavor, with HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud also featured on the list.

The Saudi prince has a net worth just shy of $19 billion, per Forbes , and also has holdings in the likes of luxury hotels the Four Seasons and the Savoy, as well as other technology firms like ride-sharing company Lyft .

It also seems that despite his criticism of Musk’s leadership, Jack Dorsey still owns shares in the platform he founded via the Jack Dorsey Remainder LLC.

The Twitter cofounder previously backed the Tesla CEO in his takeover of the company but walked back his support earlier this year , telling a member on rival social media platform Bluesky, “It all went south.”

Doubling down on investments

Among the less eminent names are some organizations that not only hold stakes in X as a business but have also seen senior leaders pitch in.

Take the likes of Danilo Kawasaki and Ross Gerber.

According to the filing, the pair are named as individual investors in X but also have a stake in the business they lead, the wealth and investment management firm Gerber Kawasaki.

Elsewhere on the list are the Silicon Valley VCs one might expect: 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia.

The list, of course, also features Musk himself. Via the Elon Musk Revocable Trust, the SpaceX founder is also listed.

Musk purchased the site for $44 billion in 2022, though the filing did not make clear the proportion of his investment versus that of others. Since then, the business has been  beleaguered by departing advertisers ,  mass layoffs, and criticism of Musk’s strategy.

X did not immediately respond to Fortune ‘s request for comment.

The full list

• 8VC Opportunities Fund II, L.P.
• ADREM X LLC
• ADREM Y LLC
• Afshar Partners, LP
• Andrea Stroppa
• Andreessen Horowitz LSV Fund III, L.P.
• Anthem Ventures, LLC
• ARK Venture Private Holdings LLC
• BAMCO, Inc.
• Bandera Fund LLC
• Baron Opportunity Fund
• Baron Partners Fund
• Binance Capital Management Co., Ltd
• Brookfield Project X L.P.•CCM 2020 Investments LLC
• Cheng and Chen Family Trust
• CNK Fund IV, L.P.
• Danilo Kawasaki
• Dayton Family Enterprises, LLC
• Dayton Family Investments, LLC
• DFJ GROWTH IV, L.P.
• DFJ GROWTH IV PARALLEL FUND, LLC
• DFJ GROWTH X-I, L.P.
• Eden Relationship Capital L.P.
• Elon Musk as Trustee of the Elon Musk Revocable Trust dated July 22, 2003
• FIAM Target Date Blue Chip Growth Commingled Pool By: Fidelity InstitutionalAsset Management Trust Company as Trustee
• Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management TrustCompany, as Trustee
• Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Institutional Trust By its manager Fidelity InvestmentsCanada ULC
• Fidelity Canadian Growth Company Fund by its manager Fidelity InvestmentsCanada ULC
• Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios LLC: Fidelity U.S. Equity Central Fund -Communication Services Sub
• Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Advisor New Insights Fund – Sub A
• Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Advisor New Insights Fund – Sub B
• Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Contrafund•Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Contrafund K6
• Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Series Opportunistic Insights Fund
• Fidelity Contrafund Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company,as Trustee
• Fidelity Destiny Portfolios: Fidelity Advisor Diversified Stock Fund
• Fidelity Global Growth and Value Investment Trust – Sub A By its manager Fidelity Investments Canada
• Fidelity Global Innovators Investment Trust by its manager Fidelity InvestmentsCanada ULC
• Fidelity Growth Company Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management TrustCompany, as Trustee
• Fidelity Insights Investment Trust By its manager Fidelity Investments CanadaULC
• Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust: Fidelity Growth Company Fund
• Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust : Fidelity Growth Company K6 Fund
• Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust: Fidelity Series Growth Company Fund
• Fidelity OTC Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company, as Trustee
• Fidelity Puritan Trust: Fidelity Puritan Fund – Equity Sub B
• Fidelity Puritan Trust: Puritan K6 Fund – Equity Subportfolio•Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund
• Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth K6 Fund
• Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity OTC K6 Portfolio
• Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity OTC Portfolio
• Fidelity Select Portfolios : Select Communication Services Portfolio•G64 Ventures LLC
• Gerber Kawasaki Inc.
• Gigafund 0.21, LP
• Glacier Ventures LLC
• Go Mav, LLC
• HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud
• IMG US, LLC
• Jack Dorsey Remainder LLC
• Jack Dorsey Tr Ua 12/08/2010 Jack Dorsey Revocable Trust
• Kingdom Holding Company
• Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust
• Linda Ye and Robin Ren Family Foundation
• Litani Ventures•Luchi Fiduciaria SR POS. 365
• Manhattan Venture Partners X LLC
• Mirae Asset Innovation X ONE, LLC
• Mirae Asset Project X Fund I, LP•Olivier Janssens
• Q Tetris Holding LLC
• Ross Gerber
• Santo Lira LLC
• SC CDA1 LLC
• SCGE Fund, L.P.•SCGGF III – U.S./India Management, L.P.
• SCHF (M) PV, L.P.
• Scott Nolan
• SC US/E Expansion Fund I Management, L.P.
• Sean Combs Capital, LLC
• Sequent (Schweiz) AG as Trustee of the Debala Trust
• Sequioa Capital Fund, L.P.
• Series N Dis, a series of Atreides Special Circumstances Fund, LLC
• Shahidi Tactic Group, LLC
• Steve Davis
• T. One Holdings LLC
• The Pershing Square Foundation
• TM33 Partner Holdings
• Tresser Blvd 402 LLC
• UnipolSai S.P.A.
• Variable Insurance Products Fund II: VIP Contrafund Portfolio – Subportfolio A
• VYC25 Limited
• X Holdings I Investment, LLC

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Monday's sky offers a blue moon and a supermoon in one fairly rare occurrence

Value-conscious sky watchers can rejoice Monday as the night could bring into focus a rare two-for-one: a supermoon and a seasonal blue moon converged for a single viewing.

NASA says that combination happens roughly every 10 years under the stricter definition of a blue moon — the third in a season with four full moons.

A supermoon happens when a full moon takes place as the moon is its closest to Earth along its orbit. The proximity varies even for supermoon occurrences, with the strongest ones appearing about 14% larger than when a full moon is farthest from Earth. This won't be one of the stronger supermoons, but it will still be super, NASA said.

The moon's color will remain off-white and gray, with hints of brown and yellow.

Sometimes the stretch between two appearances of what NASA calls a "super blue moon" can be as long as 20 years, NASA said in a FAQ for Monday's bright night.

Using a newer definition of a blue moon — the second full moon in a month with two — as well as the more traditional seasonal blue moon definition, would result in a super blue moon every five years or so, the space agency said.

The next time a moon like Monday's happens — a supermoon coinciding with a seasonal blue moon — will be Aug. 21, 2032, NASA said. The next supermoon that converges with a monthly blue moon will be in January 2037, it said.

Monday's super blue moon is also a rough indicator of summer's last 30 days, with the season coming to its end Sept. 21.

"Seasonal blue moons always occur almost exactly one month before an equinox or a solstice," NASA said in its FAQ.

Many people in the U.S. hoping to take advantage of this rare two-for-one offer could be disappointed: The National Weather Service calls for thunderstorms from the northern mid-Atlantic to New England overnight, with thunderstorms also possible in the High Plains, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the viewing looks to be good. The National Weather Service office for the region called for mostly clear skies and "good viewing of the super moon tonight," according to its latest forecast discussion.

At the San Francisco Giants' game against the Chicago White Sox, which starts about an hour before sunset, Blue Moon Brewing of Denver plans a postgame drone show for fans at Oracle Park.

The brewer said in a statement, "Following the final out of the Giants game against the White Sox, the ballpark lights will go down and the sky above Oracle Park will light up with a drone show, titled: Once in a Blue Moon." 

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Monday's rare super blue moon is a confounding statistical marvel

How rare is it that depends on who you ask. but it's safe to say, monday's full moon will be special..

A rare sky spectacle will occur Monday night that (probably) won't happen again for years: A full moon that can be called both a supermoon and blue moon will grace the night skies over the U.S.

Dubbed a "super blue moon," the rare combination occurs when the different cycles of blue and supermoons happen to align on the calendar, said NASA's Noah Petro, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project scientist .

If that's not confusing enough, astronomers also have varying definitions for what counts as a supermoon and what counts as a blue moon. (Just last year a full moon met the criteria for both, by some definitions .)

Here's why Monday's full moon is so special:

What is a supermoon?

When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, this cosmic combo is called a supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full. The term was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.

"Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding when a full moon is close enough to the Earth to qualify as a supermoon," NASA said. "Because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times during its orbit."

When the moon reaches its closest point to Earth, about 226,000 miles away, full moons appears larger and brighter than at other times. A supermoon will appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full moon.

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What is a blue moon?

There are two types of blue moons: seasonal and monthly. The one Monday will be of the seasonal variety.

A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season (on this occasion, summer). When this happens, the third of the four is considered a blue moon.

The second definition – which arose from a misunderstanding of the original – is the monthly blue moon, referring to the second full moon in a single calendar month.

In either case, blue moons earn their reputation for being rare because of a quirk in the typical rhythm of one full moon per month.

The moon's cycle takes 29.5 days. But, as Missouri State University professor of astrophysics Mike Reed notes, months can have 28, 29, 30 or 31 days.

The two cycles create odd mismatches resulting in one more moon in a season or month than is typical – that's a blue moon.

Months usually have one full moon – unless there's a (monthly) blue moon. And seasons typically have three full moons – unless there's a (seasonal) blue moon.

In addition, Monday's full moon is unlikely to appear blue, however: Blue-colored moons in photos are usually made using special blue camera filters or photo editing apps.

How rare is a super blue moon? When will the next one occur?

"It's tricky to answer, because it depends on your definition of a supermoon and a blue moon," Edward Bloomer, senior astronomy manager at the U.K.'s Royal Observatory Greenwich told USA TODAY via e-mail.

The answer is different depending on whether you're talking about a seasonal blue moon or a monthly blue moon. If you tweak what counts as a supermoon, the answer also changes.

In general, a blue moon happens once every two or three years on average, according to NASA. The time between super blue moons can be as much as 20 years – but in general, 10 years is the average.

So when will the next super blue moon actually occur?

A safe bet is January 2037, according to NASA .

However, depending on what you count as a super blue moon, you may hear of another one rising before then.