a sailing yacht current position

Show labels for

General Options

Tags on label, track color based on, track visibility, playback speed.

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

Live updates: Seven dead in 56m superyacht Bayesian sinking tragedy

Seven people have died in the Bayesian sinking disaster, according to the BBC. These include the six missing people who were inside the yacht when it sank, as well as a seventh person who was located shortly after the disaster. The seventh person is understood to be the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas. The other six are:

• British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, once dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates'
• Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah
• Morgan Stanley's chairman, Jonathan Bloomer
• Judy Bloomer, wife of Morgan Stanley chairman
• Chris Morvillo, a lawyer working for London-based law firm Clifford Chance
• Neda Morvillo, an American jewellery designer and Chris' wife

It is understood that the yacht was being used to celebrate Lynch's recent victory in a 13-year £8 billion fraud acquittal.

No one remembers the mast snapping before 56m superyacht Bayesian sunk, says crew

No one recalls seeing the mast snap on board the 56-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht Bayesian which sank off the Italian island of Sicily on 19 August. The eyewitness account of a crewmember on board the vessel, which was obtained by BOAT International , said that the boat was struck by a freak weather event which led to the yacht heeling at around 20 degrees to starboard. As crewmembers were securing items, the heeling angle began to increase rapidly until the yacht started taking on water and sank rapidly.

The crewmembers who were up on deck were able to evacuate the yacht with minor injuries. The yacht is understood to have sunk in just twelve minutes, and it is believed that a "major ingress" of water from the top down would have caused the sinking, according to a captain who wishes to remain anonymous. This is based on the fact that no breaches have been reported in the yacht's hull, and the fact that the yacht should have been able to remain afloat with two flooded compartments.

"Very difficult to understand what could have overwhelmed a vessel of that size" says captain of sistership

The captain of the sistership to the sunken 56-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht Bayesian has said it is "very difficult to understand what could have overwhelmed a vessel of that size" and called the 56-metre Perini Navi series "bulletproof".

David Hutchinson, captain of Rosehearty , said he had taken the yacht around the world multiple times and he had "total faith in the boat".  "We've been to Antarctica and Chile, and we've had her in 70 knots of wind," he says, and the vessel had never put them in a situation that felt unmanageable.

However, Hutchinson noted there were differences between Bayesian and Rosehearty ; notably, Bayesian's  74-metre mast, which would have been heavier and added increased windage. The yacht's layout was also different, with guest accommodation on Bayesian located further forward.

Live updates

• A search and rescue for six missing people has concluded. The final missing person is understood to be Hannah Lynch. 
• According to Reuters, six bodies have now been found in the sunken yacht. These include Mike Lynch, a British technology entrepreneur who co-founded Autonomy Corporation and founded Invoke Capital, although Italian authorities have not confirmed this.  
• One person was found immediately after the yacht sunk, and this is understood to be the yacht's chef. 
• Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and a one-year-old are among the fifteen people rescued along with Bayesian' s captain, James Cutfield.
• Another sailing vessel in the area, the 42-metre Sir Robert Baden Powell ,  stepped in to offer assistance in the initial rescue.
• Divers have been able to reach Bayesian' s sunken hull, which lies at 45 metres of depth about half a mile from the coast. The yacht had the largest aluminium masts of any sailing yacht on the water.
• Eyewitnesses in the area reported "hurricane" conditions off the coast but local weather websites did not indicate any severe squall, which suggests that the weather event was not forecast.
• At around 5am local time on 19 August, Bayesian was hit by bad weather and sunk.  The sailing yacht was anchored or idle at the time of the incident.

Built in Italy by renowned builder Perini Navi and delivered in 2008, the yacht's naval architecture was developed by Ron Holland Design while the interior design is by Rémi Tessier . She was formerly known as Salute and was last refitted in 2016. She was listed for sale earlier this year, according to BOATPro . The yacht had accommodation for nine guests and 12 crew.

BOAT International will update the story as it develops.

Sign up to BOAT Briefing email

Latest news, brokerage headlines and yacht exclusives, every weekday

By signing up for BOAT newsletters, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy .

More about this yacht

Similar yachts for sale, more stories, most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

The 5 tragic minutes that sank a superyacht

PORTICELLO, Italy — Survivors of a storm that sank a superyacht off Sicily recounted their ordeal to one of the doctors who rushed to their aid, with some saying it took mere minutes for the 180-foot ship to go down. 

Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News on the phone Thursday that he arrived in the seaside village of Porticello before dawn Monday, about an hour after the $40 million Bayesian sank in the violent and sudden storm.   

Of the 22 people onboard, 15 survived despite storm conditions and darkness, climbing onto a lifeboat before being rescued by a nearby sailboat. The crew members have made no public statements so far, though some have been interviewed by investigators.

“They told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down,” Genco said, recounting what the survivors told him. “All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries,” he said. 

It appears they had just minutes to abandon the sinking ship, Genco said. 

“They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there,” he said, “And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes.”

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the Bayesian's shipbuilder, told Sky News that there were no flaws with the design or construction of the yacht. He said their structure and keel made boats like that “unsinkable bodies.”

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he disavowed responsibility, blaming instead the actions of the crew. “Mistakes were made,” he said. 

Genco said one of his colleagues who arrived at the scene before him initially thought that only three people survived, but the coast guard reported there were other survivors and more emergency services were called in. 

When Genco arrived, he found scenes of panic and despair. 

“Unfortunately, we are used to such panic scenes because we are used to the shipwrecks that happen on Lampedusa ,” Genco said, referring to the island southwest of Sicily, where the wreckage of boats carrying migrants on the sea journey from North Africa to Italy are often found . 

Six of the passengers were declared missing Monday, and by Thursday, the bodies of five had been recovered from the wreck , some 160 feet underwater.

Among those who survived is Angela Bacares, wife of the British tech mogul Mike Lynch , whose body was recovered Thursday. 

Another survivor has been identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35. She told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled into safety.

Dr. Domenico Cipolla at the Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in Palermo is also part of a team of medical professionals treating the shipwreck survivors. He told the BBC on Wednesday that Emsley and her daughter, as well as the father of the child, who Cipolla said also survived, are continuing to receive psychological help. 

“Psychological support was constant and is constant even today, because basically it is the wounds of the soul that are the most in need of healing in these cases,” Cipolla said.

Genco also told NBC News that he was especially concerned about the child. “She did not understand anything. She was soaking wet and cold,” he said. 

Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, a yacht that was anchored near the Bayesian, said by phone Wednesday that he saw a thunderstorm come in at around 4 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) Monday, followed by what looked like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms over water. 

The International Centre for Waterspout Research noted on X that there was a “waterspout outbreak” off Italy on Monday, the day the Bayesian sank. 

“I turned on the engine and made maneuvers so that we wouldn’t collide with the Bayesian, which was anchored about 100 meters from us,” Borner said. “Then all of a sudden it disappeared. Then the wind calmed down, we looked around and saw a red flare.”

Borner said he got into his boat’s tender and saw a life raft with 15 people on it. Members of the crew were administering first aid. 

“I don’t know why it sank so quickly, but it may have something to do with the mast which was incredibly long,” he said. Questions have been raised about whether the mast was to blame for the accident as tall masts, even with the sails down, have more surface area exposed to the wind, which can contribute to tipping a vessel in a storm.

The CCTV footage that emerged Tuesday showed the yacht’s 250-foot mast, believed to be one of the tallest aluminum sailing masts in the world, lashed by the storm as it appears to tilt to one side before disappearing.

Claudia Rizzo is an Italy based journalist.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Yacht on fire at N.J. marina: See the massive blaze

• Updated: Aug. 22, 2024, 9:07 p.m.
• | Published: Aug. 22, 2024, 3:06 p.m.

• Nyah Marshall | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
• Eric Conklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A yacht being refueled at a Wildwood marina on Thursday afternoon was heavily damaged in a blaze witnesses say was caused by an explosion.

The fire broke out on a 40-foot yacht at the Schooner Island Marina, according to on-scene reports. It remains under investigation, first responders said.

An eyewitness said the yacht was refueling at the time the fire started. The McKee Group, a Pennsylvania-based developer that owns the marina, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Billowing clouds of smoke were still visible around 2 p.m. as police and fire officials responded to the incident. According to local police at the scene, New Jersey State Police are handling the investigation.

Schooner Island Marina, where visitors can find restaurants and fishing excursions, was filled with patrons watching from afar Thursday afternoon.

A 40-foot yacht was damaged in a fire that happened while it was being refueled at the Schooner Island Marina in Wildwood, according to on-scene reports. Photo courtesy of Karen Lynn Photography Karen Lynn Photography

Susquehanna Avenue was blocked off near the marina, detouring traffic around emergency fire trucks and ambulances. Firehoses snaked through the marina’s parking lot, creating an obstacle for bystanders.

The scent of gasoline could be detected throughout the marina.

Paul Daiber, who stores his boat at the marina, was fishing at the end of the deck opposite from where the yacht that caught fire was moored.

In 25 years of keeping his vessel there, this was the first time he’s witnessed a boat explosion.

“It’s scary,” Daiber, 56, said while sitting on a truck hatch about 200 yards from the emergency scene.

A firefighter walks toward the Schooner Island Marina in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, after a 40-foot boat moored there caught fire. Eric Conklin

Daiber described the explosion as a powerful thud and turned around to see the boat on fire. Debris from the vessel were sent into the air and onto nearby docks, Daiber said.

Meanwhile, bystanders raced to find fire extinguishers. Once firefighters arrived, crews tried dousing the blaze that turned into an inferno that could be seen from across the marina, he said.

Blocks away, beach goers snapped photos of plumes that towered into the sky and were pushed by winds.

Plumes of smoke from a boat fire at a Wildwood, New Jersey, marina appear above the marshlands on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. Eric Conklin

“It just progressively got worse and worse until it erupted in flames,” Daiber said.

No further information from officials has been released at this time.

The detoured road was reopened to traffic around 5 p.m. Thursday, Wildwood police said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com .

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

MARINE VESSEL TRAFFIC

CORONAVIRUS SHIPS

PLANS & PRICES

FLEET ANALYSES Coming soon

M5 Yacht, IMO 8979374

Where is the current position of m5 presently vessel m5 is a yacht ship sailing under the flag of cayman islands . her imo number is 8979374 and mmsi number is 319191100. main ship particulars are length of 84 m and beam of 16 m. maps show the following voyage data - present location, next port, estimated (eta) and predicted time of arrival (pta), speed, course, draught, photos, videos, local time, utc time..

20 emails/day

Send 0 emails out of 20 today

Full Screen

Add to Fleet

Open this map on your mobile by scanning a QR code

Open this map on your mobile by scanning the QR code image with your camera

M5 current position is received by AIS. Ship info reports, fleet analysis, company analyses, address analyses, technical specifications, tonnages, management details, addresses, classification society data and all other relevant statistics are derived from Marine Vessel Traffic database. The data is for informational purposes only and Marine Vessel Traffic is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness and reliability of data reported above herein.

• CruiseMapper
• Small Cruise Lines

Former names: Angelita, Hussar II

Cruise line Sea Cloud Cruises (Small Cruise Lines)

Sea Cloud current position

Sea Cloud current location is at Aegean Sea (coordinates 37.93916 N / 23.63783 E) cruising en route to Piraeus-Athens. The AIS position was reported 4 minutes ago.

Specifications of Sea Cloud

•   Review
•   Wiki

Sea Cloud Review

Review of sea cloud.

The 1931-built cruise ship Sea Cloud 1 is a tall-sailing ship launched as a private yacht constructed by the shipbuilder Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel Germany . The vessel was drydock-reconstructed and started cruise services in 1979.

Sea Cloud was extensively drydock refurbished in 2011 at MWB-Werft ( Bremerhaven ). The next major drydock refurbishment is scheduled for 2025.

Sea Cloud's sistership is Sea Cloud 2 (2000-built as an exact replica). In 2021, the fleet joined the world's largest sailship Sea Cloud Spirit . These unique vessels perfectly combine the elegance of sailships with the luxury and comfort of modern superyachts.

All three sailships are owned by Sea Cloud Cruises GmbH/ fleet (1979-founded, Hamburg -based company).

The vessel (IMO number 8843446) is currently Malta- flagged (MMSI 256084000) and registered in Valletta .

Occasionally, the boat is seasonally chartered by Lindblad Expeditions .

Traditionally for Sea Cloud Cruises, Sea Cloud 1 is often privately chartered, with a schedule combining regular revenue voyages with time- and voyage charters. The charterers are usually specialized groups renting the ship for events like religious conventions, business meetings, alumni gatherings, private parties (family reunions, birthdays, weddings, celebrations). Some even charter the ship for golf-themed cruises.

History - construction and ownership

The 64-passenger ship Sea Cloud 1 is a 4-masted barque originally built as a private yacht for Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) - an American entrepreneur, businesswoman, philanthropist. At the time, Marjorie Merriweather Post was the owner of General Foods Corporation (1929-founded/1990-defunct). The company (as Postum Cereal Company) was established in 1895 by Charles William Post (1854-1914, the pioneer in the prepared-food industry), and in 1988 merged into Kraft Foods Inc (now Kraft Heinz Co).

The vessel also served as a weather ship for the USCG (United States Coast Guard) and the US Navy during WW2 (1939-45). Following World War 2, the boat served as a private superyacht for many influential people, including as Dominicana's presidential yacht. Sea Cloud 1 was the first racially integrated US warship.

The boat is very much like a private shelter and boasts some of the most appealing cabins and public rooms at sea.

Decks and Cabins

MV Sea Cloud has 3 decks and only 32 cabins in 8 grades, all of which are outside staterooms. Cabins as types and sizes vary considerably. All upper-grade cabins are with antique furniture and marble bathrooms with bathtubs. All staterooms are without TVs.

All cabins offer as standard amenities large wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), dressing table / writing desk with chair, nightstand (bedside cabinet with 2 drawers), hairdryer, individually controlled air-conditioning, en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, marble sink top, gold-plated fixtures, razor socket), non-opening windows (half-height or Porthole).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

Sea Cloud Restaurants and food bars include Restaurant (open seating), Lido Deck (al fresco buffet, live music, Crew Shanty Choir). Food and service are exceptional, and meals are often served on deck. Dinner is served in the original dining room three times a week, from a fixed menu. Menus have a European influence, though the cuisine is sometimes tempered by the nationality of guests onboard. The most exciting part of the day is an afternoon snack on the Promenade Deck. The baker prepares a new treat each day, including waffles with ice cream, an elaborate afternoon tea or crepes to order. Complimentary wine flows freely at meals.

The most remarkable feature of this luxury yacht is its 4 masts, 29 sails and a tangled web of lines stretching 54 m skyward to support the rigging. Unlike the modern, computer-operated sail ships, all sails on Sea Cloud 1 are manually-served - by the 18 crew performing dazzling acrobatics, suspended over the ocean.

Ship's lounges and bars include Lido Bar, Lounge (featuring selected picture books, literature, board games, a writing desk with a laptop). Other facilities include Lobby area (Reception, Purser), Hospital, zodiac boats, "Fun Island" (sledding via inflatable water sleds).

Itineraries

Sea Cloud 1 schedule calendar includes cruises in the Caribbean and Mediterranean (departing from Piraeus-Athens Greece and Dubrovnik Croatia ), under contract to National Geographic Society. The yacht is also often privately chartered.

Following the Coronavirus crisis, Sea Cloud 1 became Sea Cloud Cruises' first boat to restart passenger shipping in 2021 - on August 27, leaving out of Piraeus-Athens.

For 2023, with Sea Cloud Lindblad introduced two new Mediterranean itineraries: the 10-day "Extraordinary Adriatic: Croatia and Slovenia Under Sail" (August 17, 2023, from US$14670 pp with double occupancy/from  Venice Italy to Dubrovnik Croatia) and the 16-day "Sailing the Western Mediterranean: Spain to Corsica" (April 19, 2023, from US$25,170 pp/from  Lisbon Portugal  to Naples Italy ).

Photos of Sea Cloud

Sea Cloud ship related cruise news

Historic sailship Sea Cloud to undergo extensive drydock refurbishment in 2025

Sea Cloud Cruises has announced that its flagship Sea Cloud will undergo significant refurbishments following the conclusion of its 2025 European...

Sea Cloud Cruises presents authentic itineraries in its 2024 brochure

Sea Cloud Cruises has unveiled its 2024 brochure titled "Authentic Sailing Journeys," offering a comprehensive overview of the experience on board...

Sea Cloud Cruises 2024 - new routes, destinations, and concepts

For the year 2024, Sea Cloud Cruises/fleet has expanded its offerings beyond its well-established art, culture, and culinary trips. The company has...

Sea Cloud Cruises' tall ships continue sailing into the heart of Venice (Italy)

Sea Cloud Cruises fleet will again steer a course for Venice Italy's historic downtown in 2023. Unlike large vessels, Sea Cloud's tall-sailing ships...

Sea Cloud Cruises remains an independent cruise line

Sea Cloud Cruises revealed that Marriott International Inc (the parent company of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection via The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company...

Lindblad Expeditions updates Health & Safety protocols

Lindblad Expeditions updated its health & safety protocols with the first changes effective on sailings departing September 1st/later. As the...

Lindblad unveils 2 new cruise itineraries for Sea Cloud sailship

Lindblad Expeditions announced 2 new itineraries for the 58-passenger sailship Sea Cloud. On the new voyages, tourists will discover the Adriatic...

Port Bastia (Corsica France) welcomes a double call with tall-sail cruise ships Royal Clipper and...

Port Bastia (Corsica Island, France) welcomed a double ship call with Star Clippers' Royal Clipper and Ritz-Carlton's Sea Cloud. Both tall-sailing...

Sea Cloud Cruises cancels this year’s Saint Petersburg (Russia) calls of Sea Cloud Spirit

Sea Cloud Cruises announced the line had cancelled this year’s Saint Petersburg (Russia) calls of its new ship Sea Cloud Spirit. The Hamburg...

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to purchase Sea Cloud Cruises

The maritime investment firm behind the Ritz-Carlson Yacht Collection, The Yacht Portfolio, signed a letter of intent (LoI) to purchase Sea Cloud...

•   show more news

Other Sea Cloud Cruises cruise ships

• Sea Cloud 2
• Sea Cloud Spirit

Sea Cloud Wiki

Under Captain Sergej Komakin, the ship Sea Cloud sailed approx 4260 km (2650 mi) without its engines - being powered only by the wind and cruising 17 days only under its 30 sails (total surface 2970 m2 / 32000 ft2). Only at ~160 km (100 mi) from Santo Domingo, the diesel engines were powered to support the remaining voyage. The 17-day Transatlantic crossing (itinerary December 3-20, 2019, from Praia, Santiago Island Cape Verde to Santo Domingo Dominicana ) was attended by 53 passengers and 60 staff/crew. During the ocean crossing, Sea Cloud maintained speeds 15-20 knots (28-37 kph / 17-23 mph).

In 2021, the 4-masted sailship restarted passenger operations under the command of Captain John Svendsen.

MORE SECTIONS

• Social Casino

MORE FROM THE SUN

• Newsletters

Inside final 16 minutes of doomed Bayesian as yacht’s ‘black box’ reveals minute-by-minute horror of deadly storm

• Ellie Doughty , Foreign News Reporter
• Published : 5:50 ET, Aug 23 2024
• Updated : 12:30 ET, Aug 23 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

THE FINAL minutes onboard the tragic Bayesian have been revealed as the boat's black-box data is analysed by cops probing the disaster.

Data recovered from the Bayesian's Automatic Identification System (AIS) breaks down exactly how it sank in a painful 16-minute timeline.

Today divers recovered the body of the final missing passenger from the wreck - Brit teen Hannah Lynch - daughter of tycoon Mike Lynch who was retrieved on Thursday.

An AIS tracking system sends information from onboard boats to coastal stations, alerting officials to movement and distress.

As part of a probe into just how the luxury 184ft yacht toppled and plunged to the bottom of the sea, killing seven people, cops are analysing the data.

It revealed that at 3.50am on Monday the Bayesian began to shake "dangerously" during a fierce storm, Italian outlet Corriere reports.

READ MORE ON YACHT TRAGEDY

Bayesian yacht wreck may be RAISED from seabed amid search for missing teen

Divers could RAISE wreck from seabed to find missing teen as search enters day 5

Just minutes later at 3.59am the boat's anchor gave way, with a source saying the data showed there was "no anchor left to hold".

After the ferocious weather ripped away the boat's mooring it was dragged some 358 metres through the water.

By 4am it had began to take on water and was plunged into a blackout, indicating that the waves had reached its generator or even engine room.

At 4.05am the Bayesian fully disappeared underneath the waves.

Most read in The Sun

RFK Jr. standing down 'could sway election but Trump must give him cabinet role'

All we know about Big Brother star Brooklyn Rivera's husband, Eddie

Boy mauled by pit bull as mom 'cuffs him' & says 'didn't know it was illegal'

Kayla Simmons stuns in barely-there bikini as fans call her 'bombshell'

An emergency GPS signal was finally emitted at 4.06am to the coastguard station in Bari, a city nearby, alerting them that the vessel had sunk.

It comes as...

• Brit teen Hannah Lynch was found on the sunken boat on Friday as her family paid tribute
• Five bodies were recovered from the yacht wreck  on Wednesday and Thursday including Brit tycoon Mike Lynch
• The CEO of the firm that produced the Bayesian said the boat is  'unsinkable' and pointed to human error
• Captain James Cutfield was quizzed for two hours  by cops and remains at the  centre of a probe
• Experts believe the yacht's 'tallest mast in the world' may have contributed to the disaster after a  freak ‘Black Swan’ weather event struck
• Pictures showed the  tiny raft that saved up to 15 people
• Frantic text messages  from the survivors revealed the chaos

Survivors and witnesses from a small nearby boat - along with official reports - initially helped piece together an account of how the disaster unfolded on Monday morning.

People reported seeing a "tornado" - later clarified as a swirling cloud of air known as a waterspout - hit the 246ft tall mast.

Officials have confirmed that this is what toppled the boat, causing it to capsize and take on water before it sank to the bottom of the sea.

Early reports suggested the disaster struck around 5am local time off the coast of Porticello Harbour in Palermo, Sicily.

The new data pulled from the boat's AIS appears to suggest it happened an hour earlier at around 4am.

Some 15 of the 22 onboard were rescued, 11 of them scrambling onto an inflatable life raft that sprung up on the deck.

The smaller nearby boat - named Sir Robert Baden Powell - then helped take those people to shore.

More details about the disaster surfaced yesterday as emergency workers revealed how the passengers tried to flee the water as it gushed onboard.

Divers said the guests pulled from the wreckage fled their cabins on the right - or starboard - side of the boat and tried to "climb" to safety by heading for the left - port side - where they were found.

A source working in the investigation told Italian outlet  Corriere : "We found them all on that side.

"We had maps with the layout of the cabins and the positions of the guests, and that's not where we recovered them." 

Officials also revealed that the keel - a stabilising fin-like backbone underneath the vessel usually lowered for balance in deep waters - had been taken up before it sank.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of Italian Sea Group which owns Bayesian-maker Perini Navi shipyard, has blamed human error for the tragedy .

He told The Sun: "Modern sailing ships, especially high-tech ones like the Perini, are designed to be extremely safe and stable.

“Even in very critical conditions, if procedures are followed, a sailing yacht like the Bayesian will return to an upright position.

"However, if the ship takes on water, this stability is compromised.

“Where the water entered will be determined by the investigators.

"What is certain is that the ship took on hundreds of thousands of litres of water."

Mr Constantino also disputed claims the tornado had not been forecast and came as a shock and said it was "widely predicted".

And referring to the AIS data obtained by prosecutors and available to Perini, he told the Financial Times: “The torture lasted 16 minutes.

"It went down, not in one minute as some scientists have said. It went down in 16 minutes.

Read More on The US Sun

Watch 'ridiculous' moment 16-year-old sprint sensation runs 100m in 10.2secs

Sabrina Carpenter and Jenna Ortega fans’ jaws drop as pair share ‘iconic’ kiss

"You can see it from the charts, from the AIS [Automatic Identification System] tracking chart.

“The captain should have prepared the boat and put it in a state of alert and of safety, just like the boat [the Sir Robert Baden Powell] anchored 350 metres away, which was built in 1957 and handled the [weather] event brilliantly.”

• Bayesian yacht sinks
• missing person

Sailing vessel, MMSI 368135120

• VesselFinder
• Miscellaneous

The current position of ZATARA is at Caribbean Sea reported 7 days ago by AIS. The vessel is sailing at a speed of 0.3 knots. The vessel ZATARA (MMSI 368135120) is a Sailing vessel and currently sailing under the flag of United States (USA) .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & Weather

Recent port calls.

ZATARA current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of ZATARA data.