yacht alfa for sale

Similar yachts

New listings

The Best Yacht Concepts From Around The World

The Stunning Ritz Carlton EVRIMA Yacht

Gliding Across Tokyo’s Sumida River: The Mesmerizing Zipper Boat

CROCUS Yacht: An 48 Meter Beauty by Admiral

• Zuretti Interior Design
• Zuretti Interior
• Zuccon International Project
• Ziyad al Manaseer
• Zaniz Interiors. Kutayba Alghanim
• Yuriy Kosiuk
• Yuri Milner
• Yersin Yacht

• Superyachts

The ALFA Yacht: A 70-Meter Marvel of Maritime Excellence

Unveiled in 2020, the ALFA yacht is a stunning 70-meter (approximately 230 feet) masterpiece from the esteemed Italian shipyard, Benetti SpA. With a beam of 10.6 meters, a draught of 3 meters, and a total volume of 1,442 GT, ALFA showcases the epitome of seafaring luxury and performance.

Lavish Interiors by Luxury Projects

The ALFA yacht features interiors crafted by the renowned design studio, Luxury Projects. Designed to accommodate up to 14 guests in supreme comfort, the ALFA also provides quarters for 21 crew members, ensuring a lavish and personalized yachting experience for everyone on board.

The interiors are likely a symphony of luxury and style, featuring custom furniture, state-of-the-art amenities, and high-end finishes that exude sophistication and opulence.

Exquisite Exterior Design by Benetti SpA

Known for their elegant and timeless designs, Benetti SpA has crafted the exterior of ALFA to perfection. While the specific details remain exclusive, one can expect spacious sundecks, lavish lounging areas, and possibly a state-of-the-art Jacuzzi.

The exterior layout likely incorporates spaces for both relaxation and socialization, making the yacht an ideal venue for both intimate gatherings and grand celebrations.

Unmatched Performance and Reliability

Powered by two Caterpillar Inc engines, ALFA can achieve a top speed of an impressive 17 knots. With a fuel capacity of 132,000 liters, the yacht promises long, uninterrupted journeys across seas, wrapped in unparalleled luxury.

The steel hull and aluminum superstructure ensure a stable and reliable cruising experience, adhering to the high standards set by Benetti SpA.

A Yacht of Distinction: World Rankings and Market Availability

ALFA doesn’t just impress with her size and luxury; she also holds a prestigious ranking. She sits at number 309 in the world rankings for the largest yachts and is the 7th-largest yacht ever built by Benetti.

Currently listed for sale at an asking price of €67,000,000 (or roughly $85 million), ALFA represents a substantial investment in a lifestyle defined by unmatched elegance and sophistication.

ALFA Yacht Owner

The owner of ALFA remains a mystery, listed exclusively on SYT iQ and available only to subscribers. But one thing is for sure: owning ALFA is a statement of impeccable taste and an appreciation for the finer things in life.

ALFA Yacht Price

With an asking price of around $85 million and annual running costs estimated at $8.5 million, ALFA is an investment in unparalleled luxury and high performance. The pricing reflects not only the yacht’s sheer size but also her level of luxury, quality of craftsmanship, and the advanced technologies integrated into her design.

ALFA isn’t just a yacht; she is a floating epitome of luxury, a mobile mansion that offers a lifestyle most can only dream of. Whether you’re interested in her for her performance, her luxury, or her sheer beauty, ALFA yacht promises nothing short of a sublime experience.

She stands as a testament to what can be achieved when unmatched craftsmanship meets limitless resources.

In a sea of luxury yachts, ALFA yacht sets herself apart — a remarkable vessel that not only offers an unparalleled yachting experience but also sets new standards in maritime luxury. For those fortunate enough to step aboard, she promises a voyage like no other.

Do you have anything to add to this listing?

• Caterpillar Engines
• Luxury Projects

Love Yachts? Join us.

Related posts.

SOMNIO Yacht – World’s Largest Yacht Will Launch in 2024

ICON Yacht – The Incredible $75M Superyacht

TATOOSH Yacht – The Impressive $110M Superyacht

SEA PEARL Yacht – State-of-the-art $40 M Superyacht

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

For sale: On board Benetti's 70m superyacht Alfa

Created for an owner with an aversion to busy patterns, Benetti’s Alfa is an exercise in design that excels in subtlety. As she prepares to appear at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, Risa Merl takes a look on board.

“You have to sit in this chair,” says Laura Pomponi, CEO of Luxury Projects . The interior designer of the 70-metre Benetti yacht Alfa beckons me over to the 14-seat dining table where I relax into a high-back leather chair that is soft yet surprisingly supportive. Pomponi designed it to be the ideal seat for dining, as she explains, “Even when you lean closer to the table to eat, your back is still supported.”

Our tour through the yacht, in the middle of the busy Monaco Yacht Show, has been delightful and full of moments like this. It’s giving me time to soak up the unexpected materials, custom-designed furnishings and thoughtful details that helped earn Alfa the 2021 World Superyacht Award for Displacement Motor Yachts Between 1,000GT and 1,599 GT.

The yacht owes her exterior design and naval architecture to Benetti, who used three strong horizontal lines of panoramic windows to add nuance to the profile. Pomponi and her Luxury Projects team created the calm, contemporary interiors inside the strong-looking envelope using a pleasing earthy colour palette. What makes this yacht extra special, however, is the wealth of well-considered features that you don’t see. The project’s most essential elements are invisible to the naked eye. For instance, the owner didn’t want to see any air-conditioning grids or sources of light. “He didn’t want any spotlights,” Pomponi says. “Everything had to be holistic and integrated. He wanted the yacht to feel like a home.”

The Luxury Projects team and the shipyard went to great lengths to hide the air intakes behind i’s cabinets. Also, the designer spent a lot of time on the lighting plan so that the only visible spotlights are those mandated for emergency purposes.

Everything, including the carefully selected engineered materials that adorn the interior, blends harmoniously. You’d never guess that most of the stones and woods are fabricated. But as we walk through the boat, Pomponi points out the engineered wood made to look like teak and the stone veneers that appear as natural as solid stone. The designer, in collaboration with her client, chose them because they are long-lasting and a more eco-friendly choice, which also helps to offset the real teak used on the exterior deck.

“The engineered woods are easier to maintain, and they don’t change colour as they age,” Pomponi says. The trick to making it look real is to balance the composite wood with other elements, such as fabric panels on the walls, or laying the wood in a chevron pattern rather than as one full piece. “You have to break it up, or it looks artificial,” she says. Despite being engineered, the materials used on Alfa read as natural. There is a warmth from the balance of white stone, teak-coloured woods, white leather ceilings and purposefully restrained use of colour. Nothing is overtly shiny; the only glimmer is in what appear to be bronze details, made from liquid metal.

The private client who commissioned the yacht had worked with Pomponi on residential projects. He had a 50-metre yacht before Alfa and he knew what he wanted down to the smallest details. “He was very involved in the general arrangement – he would send me videos of him sketching layouts,” she says. “He really challenged the use of space.”

The Luxury Projects team designed the yacht’s GA based on the owner’s exacting brief, which included having six cabins on the lower deck, an extra cabin for his bodyguard and butler on the main deck, a dedicated owner’s deck and a private beach club. The beach club is an important feature. Rather than opening at the stern, it has balconies unfolding on either side, allowing guests to enjoy a cross-breeze off the water. With its comfortable sofa and a huge television, it can even be used as a water-level cinema. Accessed both by guest corridors leading from the stern and via an internal stairwell from the main deck, the space can also be enjoyed as a cosy lounge while under way.

This enclosed-stern beach club layout allowed space for an infinity pool occupying the aft section of the main deck above – and all of its required machinery on the lower deck. An electric system allows raising the floor of the 1.2-metre-deep pool halfway to form a shallow water feature or kiddie pool, or further up to meet the deck and become a dance floor or a sunbathing area.

“That combination of both infinity pool and beach club is still pretty rare on superyachts even today – most yachts offer either one or the other,” says Vassilis Fotilas, the Fraser sales broker with whom Alfa is, at the time of writing, listed for sale.

The main deck layout is relatively traditional, with a wide foyer entry that serves as a transitional space from the aft deck and leads into the welcoming main saloon, furnished with white sofas and plush stone-grey armchairs. White suede covers the recesses in the wooden ceilings, a contrast that gives an extra dimension to the room. However, the galley, pantry and dining room arrangements are a bit different. The formal dining room is where one might expect to find a master cabin. A starboard-side balcony opens onto the sea, preventing the dining room from feeling stuffy and giving the illusion of dining at a waterfront terrace.

“The owner’s deck is superb,” says Fotilas. “To wake up in the master stateroom to 180-degree views forward over the ocean and take a few steps onto your own private terrace – that’s an experience and a way to start the day that every owner dreams of.”

Other amenities on this deck include a gym, massage room and upper saloon/cinema leading out onto the private aft deck. The upper saloon has a structural, architectural feel with an imposing grooved, white lacquered wall with a large television niche cut into it. Pomponi, who designed and oversaw the fitting of the furnishings and lamps on board, designed the room’s L-shaped sofa with a bronze base. “I wanted the base of the sofa to be sleek while still maintaining structure,” she says. The deep sofa is also ergonomically designed for optimal comfort, and Pomponi again invites me to sit down and try it out. While comfortably seated, I notice there are no Roman blinds; instead, the sky lounge has sheer drapes to allow outside views.

The most challenging aspect of the GA, Pomponi says, was fitting six good-sized cabins on the lower deck, especially considering that Alfa has a narrower beam of 10.6 metres. This contributes to her elegant exterior but reduces the overall volume to 1,442GT. “She’s a very sleek boat, with a beam more like a 65 metre,” she says. “Generally, a 70-metre yacht would have around 1,800GT.” Yet nothing feels cramped, a feat that the designer achieved in the lower deck cabins through little tricks, such as enclosing the wardrobes in smoked-glass doors to give the illusion of more space.

Alfa doesn’t have any carpets or even rugs on board, except around the foot of the beds. “It was a challenge to make the interior feel homely without the use of rugs,” Pomponi says. So she used other details, such as leather headboards created with strips of leather woven into a chevron pattern. An Italian artisan who usually makes women’s haute couture sandals created them. In general, Pomponi turned to local craftspeople from Italy’s Marche region to bring her custom-designed furnishings to life. “Everything was built within a 60-kilometre radius from Marche, from upholstery to the furniture,” she says.

It was one way to work around supply-chain issues during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but it also reduced Alfa ’s ecological footprint since materials and furniture travelled a much shorter distance from the source to the shipyard.

Alfa is currently asking €67,000,000 with Fraser .

First published in the May 2022 edition of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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

• Boats for Sale

New and used Alfa boats for sale

Find your dream Alfa on TheYachtMarket today. We have Alfa brokers and sellers from around the world at great prices.

History of Alfa Marine

Founded in Turkey in 1986, Alfa Marine is now one of the leading names in the maritime industry, notorious for combining skilled craftsmanship with the latest technological advancements. It embarked on its journey in the marine sector by building vessels primarily for the local market. However, Alfa's relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to delivering top quality shaped its reputation significantly, propelling it to the international stage.

Over the years, Alfa Marine has distinguished itself in the design and construction of an extensive range of boats, including luxury yachts, fishing trawlers, patrol boats, and passenger vessels. With a highly skilled workforce and a profound understanding of the most advanced marine construction techniques, Alfa's fleet showcases a unique blend of comfort, durability, and efficiency.

Currently headquartered in Istanbul, Alfa Marine operates from a cutting-edge facility equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. It continues to set high standards in the marine industry by adhering to uncompromising quality measures and maintaining a customer-centric approach. Today, Alfa's boats are respected and valued globally for their sophisticated design, reliable performance, and exceptional safety features, marking the manufacturer as a true standard-bearer of the maritime industry.

Which models do Alfa produce?

Alfa produce a range of boats including the Alfa 51 . For the full list of Alfa models currently listed on TheYachtMarket.com, see the model list in the search options on this page.

What types of boats do Alfa build?

Alfa manufactures a range of different types of boats. The ones listed on TheYachtMarket include Offshore cruiser , Sloop , Cruiser , Aft cockpit and Aft cabin .

How much does a boat from Alfa cost?

Used boats from Alfa on TheYachtMarket.com range in price from £119,000 GBP to £128,000 GBP with an average price of £124,000 GBP . A wide range of factors can affect the price of used boats from Alfa, for example the model, age and condition.

Sign up to our newsletter

By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy & Cookie Policy

Change units of measure

This feature requires cookies to be enabled on your browser.

Show price in:

Show lengths, beam and draft in:

Show displacement or weight in:

Show capacity or volume in:

Show speed in:

Show distance in:

Guests: 12 | Length (ft): 268

€115.000.000

• Yacht Description

The ALFA NERO Superyacht has advanced the design and innovative nature of all large superyacht designs today and the way in which this innovation transcends not only from exterior design but to the use of very unique finishes throughout make this THE super yacht to own that is floating today. The upper deck is given over to the owner’s residence. The aft deck includes settees that flank a skylight. The sky-lounge and dining room are surrounded with wenge panels and what has come to be known as the “golf ball” wall. Scalloped panels are covered in white lacquer with a mother-of-pearl look, giving the walls a textured effect reminiscent of abstract, flattened golf balls. The wall covering enlarges the room’s appearance and sets the mood to that of a European nightclub even in the light of day. The swimming pool on the main deck converts to a heli pad which is one of the most innovative things seen on any yacht in the past.

SIMILAR YACHTS

Guests: 12 | Length (ft): 236

€63.500.000

Guests: 14 | Length (ft): 223

€75.000.000

Guests: 50 | Length (ft): 226

€20.000.000

Guests: 12 | Length (ft): 234

€52.500.000

Guests: 36 | Length (ft): 280

€85.000.000

Guests: 30 | Length (ft): 238

TRIPLE SEVEN

Guests: 12 | Length (ft): 223

€49.750.000

Guests: - | Length (ft): 222

OCEANCO 246

Guests: 12 | Length (ft): 246

€125.000.000

REQUEST FORM Contact us to provide you all information about your selection

Main office in Greece:

67 Poseidonos Av., 16675, Glyfada Athens - Greece Tel. +30-210-968-0486 Mobile: +306974788888 WhatsUp: +306974788888 Viber: +306974788888 Email: [email protected]

Branch office in USA:

5497 Wiles Road, Suite 202 Coconut Creek, FL 33073 Tel. +1-954-234-2203 Email: [email protected]

COOKIES POLICY

This site uses cookies. Click settings to choose the Cookies you want to enable. MORE

Search boats for sale

alfa 51 - boat for sale

Buy a used boat - favorite boat models

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Mike Lynch among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily

• Mike Lynch among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily on x (opens in a new window)
• Mike Lynch among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily on facebook (opens in a new window)
• Mike Lynch among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily on linkedin (opens in a new window)
• Mike Lynch among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily on whatsapp (opens in a new window)

Giuliana Ricozzi in Rome and Tim Bradshaw in London

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Mike Lynch, one of the UK’s best-known tech entrepreneurs, is among those missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in bad weather.

Lynch, the former chief executive of Autonomy, was acquitted of criminal charges by a jury in San Francisco in June, vindicating the 59-year-old entrepreneur after a 12-year legal battle over the software group’s $11bn sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Among the passengers on Lynch’s 56-metre yacht Bayesian were members of his legal team and their families, who had been invited on the trip to celebrate the courtroom victory.

Jonathan Bloomer, chair of insurance group Hiscox and Morgan Stanley International, who appeared at the trial as a witness for the defence, was also on board and is one of those missing, according to local Italian authorities and people familiar with the matter.

Hiscox chief executive Aki Hussain said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened” by events. “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”

Christopher Morvillo of law firm Clifford Chance, who represented Lynch, is also missing. Six guests in total are missing and one member of the crew is confirmed dead.

Another Clifford Chance lawyer, Ayla Ronald, was among 15 of the 22 guests and crew who the authorities said were rescued from the stricken vessel.

Lynch ’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is also missing while his wife Angela Bacares was rescued.

Video description

The search operation near Palermo following the sinking of the yacht Bayesian

The yacht incident came on the same day as the death was confirmed of Lynch’s co-defendant in the US fraud case, Stephen Chamberlain, who was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire.

Gary Lincenberg, an attorney who represented Chamberlain in the case, said Autonomy’s former vice-president of finance, whom he described as a “courageous man with unparalleled integrity”, had been fatally struck by a car while out running on Saturday.

Following the courtroom verdict, Lynch had said he was “elated” and was “looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field”.

David Yelland, a communications adviser who worked with Lynch, said: “To think Mike Lynch might have lost his life just as he began to rebuild it is devastating for all those that know him. His entire life is one of beating the odds in the most extraordinary of situations, we must pray he does so again.” 

A spokesperson for Lynch declined to comment.

The Italian coast guard said Bayesian sank to a depth of approximately 50 metres off the coast of Palermo.

Giuseppe D’Agostino, mayor of Santa Flavia, a village on the coast close to where the vessel sank, said the search had not stopped. “The community is shaken. Everyone is helping,” he told the Financial Times.

“I spoke to some survivors. They are shocked. They didn’t have the strength to speak,” he added.

Another survivor was Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Lynch’s venture firm Invoke Capital, along with her husband James Emsilie and one-year-old daughter. She told Italian media that her family had left their cabin during the storm and headed for the deck.

Records indicate that Lynch’s family-owned the yacht. Bayesian is owned by Isle of Man-registered company Revtom Limited, according to shipping database Equasis. Isle of Man filings show that Bacares is the sole shareholder of Revtom.

The Sunday Times rich list estimated Lynch’s family fortune at £500mn earlier this year.

The name Bayesian is likely to be a reference to the 18th-century English statistician Thomas Bayes, whose theory of statistics informed the search technology behind Autonomy’s software.

The yacht had been anchored at the small Italian island of Panarea, according to MarineTraffic, a boat tracking site. It then passed through the Aeolian Islands on its way to Palermo before being hit by what has been described as a “tornado”.

Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire department, said divers and other rescue workers had been working at the scene since Monday morning.

“We arrived when the ship had already sunk,” he said, adding that the operation was complicated by the depth to which the boat had sunk. Cari said the body had been recovered outside the shipwreck. He declined to identify the victim.

The UK’s Department for Transport said the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch was deploying a team of four inspectors to Palermo to conduct a “preliminary assessment into the foundering”. The UK will lead the investigation because the vessel was flying the British flag.

Additional reporting by Michael Acton, Robert Wright, Robert Smith, Joshua Franklin, Jim Pickard and Ian Smith

Promoted Content

Follow the topics in this article.

• Maritime accidents and safety Add to myFT
• Technology sector Add to myFT
• UK companies Add to myFT
• UK business Add to myFT
• Michael Lynch Add to myFT

Comments have not been enabled for this article.

• You are on Realigro website
• Russian Federation
• Sverdlovsk Oblast
• EKATERINBURG
• List your properties
• Estate agents
• Private seller
• Property portals

Preferences

• Publish your free listing
• Rent-holidays

For sale 1 Bedroom, EKATERINBURG, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Federation, Sherbaova 77

• Send to a friend
• Add to favourites
• Email alert
• Report an error

For sale - Cod. 29133

• Tipology: 1 Bedroom
• Area: 43 m²
• Rooms No.: 1
• Publication date announcement: 26/08/2016

Hello, we are the owners, Irina and Oleg. We sell a bright, comfortable and very beautiful flat, designed in a Scandinavian style. The flat created "for himself", but forced to sell due to moving to Moscow. ( We bought and renovated this flat for us but we have time sell it due to ...) The flat is located in a picturesque location near the Uktus mountains. The residential complex Stony Brook. In the flat: - All necessary equipment. (Dishwasher, washing machine, oven, refrigerator, range hood, stove, TV, microwave, coffee machine) - 2 wardrobes - Ennobled balcony where you can enjoy beautiful views of the forest and mountains, and dream about the most valuable. - Cable TV, wireless internet. - Increased size of window openings make the flat extremely bright. - All items and accessories are in the flat. In building: - High-speed elevator otis, which descends directly into the underground parking. - Concierge. - Courtyard complex located on the podium, which is located at 3 floors. House territory developed according to modern requirements - as a sport, and a playground with a safe finish. - On the first floor there is a trading gallery with a large grocery store, pharmacy, children's and sports goods, cafés and restaurants. The complex has a fitness club. Area: - In walking distance from the complex there is a shopping center "Globus" Waterpark "Limpopo", sports complex, "Planet IGRIK" (children's entertainment center), ICE (fitness center), the ski slopes and ski resorts, subway Botanica. - 8 km to the center. - 100 m bus stop

Page views divided according to country of origin

Change date interval 1 month 2 months 6 months

Price trend (USD/m²)

Inquiry for more info, highlight listings.

For a better use of Realigro website, set your preferences for language, currency, square meters or sq ft.

Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," they said. 

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coastguard official told Reuters.

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.