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Boat of the Week: Meet ‘Boardwalk,’ Houston Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta’s Showstopping 252-Foot Superyacht

This vessel has a long, instantly recognizable profile. but it's the myriad interior details—and the interplay of light and crystal—that define her., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories, new zealand’s thrilling win gets the america’s cup off to a rip-roaring start.

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At the end of February, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta and his family held an annual Mardi Gras celebration, which they call the San Luis Salute. The event, which included local officials and celebrities, was headlined by the band Maroon 5. But the most visible VIP guest at the gala was Fertitta’s majestic new superyacht, Boardwalk.  

The 252-foot Feadship is indeed a showstopper. It was the largest vessel at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and hundreds of people walking the docks took selfies against Boardwalk ’s towering stern, with a H130 helicopter perched on the top deck. Fertitta and his family enjoyed the show from the comfort of the yacht—from the main-deck’s rear cockpit lounge to be precise.

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It’s Fertitta’s favorite spot on his new yacht, a sanctuary protected from the wind and sun, but still exposed to the ocean. It’s also a microcosm of Boardwalk ’s very intricate design. The stern has the requisite lounges, bar and large flat-screen television, but that’s where it differs from other yachts. The ceiling has delicate curves, there are many lights embedded into the area above the bar, and the trim on the columns supporting the stern’s overhang is highly stylized.

The abundance of crystal and lighting define Boardwalk ‘s formal dining area.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

“I don’t think any other owner pays as much attention to the details,” Fertitta told Robb Report during a visit to the yacht. “If you look at the bigger yachts, they really don’t vary much with standard features like ceilings and lighting.”

“Tilman came in with all the important details—all the details that really make the difference in this boat,” adds Amy Halffman, who worked closely with Fertitta on the design. “He’s an extreme detail man, down to the quarter of an inch.”

The Houston entrepreneur has made a highly successful career out of paying attention to the details. Named by Forbes as the “World’s Wealthiest Restaurateur,” the chairman of Fertitta Entertainment and chairman of Landry’s has an empire that also includes the Houston Rockets NBA team, multiple restaurants, Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealerships, and five-star hotels.

The contrast of the black stairwell with the white floors is dramatic, nicely offset by the custom stainless-steel inlays along the railings.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Fertitta’s Post Oak Hotel in Houston, in fact, provided inspiration for Boardwalk . “We spent a lot of time meeting at the hotel,” says Halffman. “He had a lot of input into that design, which is classy and elegant, so we decided to reflect that style on the yacht.”

This Feadship is actually Halffman’s fifth yacht project with Fertitta, the other four Boardwalks being a succession of ever-larger Westports, the most recent being 165 feet in length. After owning it for 12 years, “it felt like time for a larger project,” says Fertitta. “One that was more complex and elaborate.”

While upsizing by almost 100 feet sounds like a simple hull stretch, the Feadship has 1,848 gross tonnes of interior volume, compared to 492 on the last Westport—in other words, the latest Boardwalk has nearly four times as much interior as the last one. That makes not only for a very complicated build—something which bespoke builder Feadship is used to—but also a new mindset for the interior design, which the design team needed to wrap their heads around.

A more relaxed vibe in the owner’s office.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Halffman and design partner Frank Woll came up with the concept about four years ago, and then worked closely with the owner on the yacht’s many features. There are hundreds of features, seen and unseen, that distinguish the interior.

The most noticeable—arresting, in fact—is a whimsical, fantasy-like sculpture of a bronze female form with a dress of flowing crystals, diamonds and pearls. The work by Estella Fransbergen is strategically placed in the main entry. “She’s like a guardian angel,” says the sculptor, noting it took nearly two years to complete. “She was originally going to be placed by the staircase, but we moved her so she greets everyone.”

“I’d seen Estella’s work years ago and admired it,” says Halffman. “The torso of the woman’s body appealed to everyone and proved to be a launchpad for me. It played off all the other features.” They include an enormous crystal in the main foyer, pendant chandeliers in the formal dining area beside a case with crystal wear, and bespoke crystal light fixtures on the nearby stairway—which also has a beautiful stainless railing that resembles a feature from the last Boardwalk , but on a much grander scale.

The main salon, with detailed lighting overhead. Notice the backlighting on the rear bar.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

The designers looked for striking but elegant stones—a white opal for the salon and an onice grigio for the sky lounge—mixed with Sapele, mahogany and other dark-stained woods that show contrast with the light-colored fabrics and tiling. The wine cellar even has a custom stainless-steel design that gives it a distinctive look. In all, 55 stones, marbles and tiles were used across the yacht.

Of course, all these stunning details were made possible by the ubiquitous placement of lighting, both direct and indirect, something that Fertitta understands with almost a scientific precision. His previous Westport had four times more lights than the yard had ever put on the 164-foot series. This Feadship paid even more attention to the lighting. Even the beach club, with its lounge and dedicated dive and watersports locker, has a stylish, deliberate look. The bar has a light fixture comprised of Swarovski crystals.

The yacht, though immense, is easy to navigate. Fertitta and longtime captain Tristan Judson paid attention to the functional aspects, creating an open foredeck where the two Hogdon-built tenders are stored, adding the ability to use the massive area for social occasions. The sundeck has a mosaic-tiled swimming pool, and above that is an observation deck with a mast. On that level, one gets a sense of how large Boardwalk really is, surrounded by smaller superyachts at the Fort Lauderdale show.

The intricate details on the day head—typically a forgotten space—give a sense of the how the design team approached the interior.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Still, the owner and his designers managed to keep a sense of intimacy throughout, installing what they call a “country kitchen” as the owner’s galley, to allow more informal meals and socializing than the main dining room, while retaining the yacht’s professional galley for the staff on another deck. Fertitta, who often works on board, has an office dressed with light-colored fabrics, lounges and glass doors to access the exterior decks.

The Feadship may not be Fertitta’s last yacht. Rumor has it that he’s talking to European yards about an even larger Boardwalk . When asked about it, he says simply: “I love to build things.”

Some other angles.

Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Courtesy Boardwalk

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BOARDWALK is a 76.5 m Motor Yacht, built in Netherlands by Feadship and delivered in 2021.

She has a gross tonnage of 1848.0 GT and a 12.3 m beam.

She was designed by Studio De Voogt , who has designed 11 other superyachts in the BOAT Pro database.

The naval architecture was developed by Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects , who has architected 104 other superyachts in the BOAT Pro database, and the interior of the yacht was designed by Halffman Designs , who has 9 other superyacht interiors designed in the BOAT Pro database - she is built with a Teak deck, a Steel hull, and Aluminium superstructure.

BOARDWALK is in the top 5% by LOA in the world. She is one of 117 motor yachts in the 70-80m size range, and, compared to similarly sized motor yachts, her volume is 66.59 GT above the average.

BOARDWALK is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1414 yachts registered. She is currently located at the Thunderbolt Marine refit yard, in United States of America, where she has been located for 1 week. For more information regarding BOARDWALK's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: BOARDWALK
• Yacht Type: Motor Yacht
• Yacht Subtype: Displacement
• Builder: Feadship
• Naval Architect: Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects
• Exterior Designer: Studio De Voogt
• Interior Designer: Halffman Designs
• Refits: 2021,2022,2022,2023,2024

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Motor Yacht

Boardwalk is a custom motor yacht launched in 2021 by Feadship, in the Netherlands.

Based in the Netherlands and with roots dating back to 1849, Feadship is recognised as the world leader in the field of pure custom superyachts.

Boardwalk measures 76.50 metres in length.

Boardwalk also features naval architecture by De Voogt Naval Architects.

Other Specifications

Boardwalk has a hull NB of 707.

• Yacht Builder Feadship View profile
• Naval Architect De Voogt Naval Architects No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other feadship yachts, related news.

Vitamin seller turned richest restaurateur in the world, Tilman Fertitta’s $150 million superyacht, is a masterclass in how to go big or go home! The Houston Rockets owner’s 252-foot-long vessel has a custom wine cellar, mosaic-lined pool, massage room, and multiple bars.

American billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the $150 million Boardwalk superyacht-

Worth $12.4 billion , Tilman Fertitta is the chairman and chief executive of Fertitta Entertainment, which owns the Golden Nugget Casinos and the restaurant chain Landry’s Seafood. Born into the seafood restaurant business, Fertitta started his career by peeling shrimp in his father’s restaurant after school. Over the years, he has acquired and expanded several prominent restaurant brands, including Bubba Gump Shrimp and Saltgrass Steak House.

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• The Woodlands

Tilman Fertitta's 252-foot, $150 million superyacht Boardwalk courses through canals after departing Feadship's Aalsmeer shipyard in The Netherlands on its way to sea trials. (Photo courtesy of Feadship)

Tilman Fertitta's Boardwalk by Feadship encountered 19 locks and bridges on its way to sea trials. (Photo courtesy of Feadship)

Momus Queen Blayne Fertitta and Tilman Fertitta in 2019 partying port side of his first Boardwalk yacht during The San Luis Salute in Galveston. (Gary Fountain Photo)

The Feadship team moves Tilman Fertitta's super yatch, Boardwalk, through the narrow canals of The Netherlands on its way to sea trials. (Photo courtesy of Feadship)

An areal view of Tilman Fertitta's Feadship Boardwalk of which he is expected to take possession in April. (Photo courtesy of Feadship)

Tilman Fertitta's super yacht, Boardwalk, by Feadship makes a beautiful departure as it heads for sea trials.

Tilman Fertitt's 77-meter Boardwalk from Feadship passes the last bridge on the to sea trials, passing the city of Rotterdam. (Photo courtesy of Feadship)⁠⠀

Tilman Fertitta Gets a New $150 Million Super Yacht — Take a Look at the Floating Paradise

Houston billionaire adds boardwalk to his empire.

I n the stratospheric world of billionaire Tilman Fertitta, more is more. And bigger is better. Consider the hospitality mogul’s ever-expanding business empire and then add his newest toy —  a superyacht set to splash through the waters of the Med in April.

Our curiosity was piqued when we saw info on a 77 meter (252 foot) Feadship yacht that “was commissioned by an experienced yachtsman, the project has been designed by De Voogt Naval Architects,” according to Boat International . The extraordinary yacht’s launch has additionally captured the attention of Super Yacht Times , Mega Yacht News , and  Yacht Harbor .

The name of the floating behemoth: Boardwalk . The same name as Fertitta’s 50 meter (163 feet) Westport motor yacht that has ridden the Fertitta family across waves of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean for a decade.

A little more research reveals that indeed the new vessel, which is headed this month for sea trials, was commissioned by Fertitta in 2016. Four years is fairly standard for yacht construction from the hull up. It was launched from the Feadship’s Aalsmeer shipyard in The Netherlands and in early January.

With an estimated price tag of $150 million, the yacht has seven staterooms, a swimming pool, and, of course, a helipad accommodating Fertitta’s favored mode of travel.

The original Boardwalk remains in Fertitta’s possession and there is no indication that he will sell or charter it. As he has often said, he has no intention of letting anyone but family rest their heads on Boardwalk pillows. We would guess that deep-pocketed Fertitta will keep the smaller yacht in the Caribbean where the larger yacht would have difficulty maneuvering through the waters there.

Get Tailgate Ready

In the world of superyachts , Boardwalk is a serious contender but falls short of the ridiculously huge mega yachts such as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ Bravo Eugenia, which measures 356 feet, or the 351-foot Benetti Lana, which charters for $1.9 million a week.

Get a closer look at Tilman Fertitta’s new yacht in this video:

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BOARDWALK yacht NOT for charter*

76.5m  /  251' | feadship | 2021.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Elevator for convenient access
• Impressive 5,000nm range
• Inviting pool
• Lloyds Register ✠ |100A1 SSC Yacht, Mono, G6 ✠ LMC, UMS classification
• Up to 22 crew

The 76.5m/251' motor yacht 'Boardwalk' was built by Feadship in the Netherlands at their Aalsmeer shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Amy Halffman and she was delivered to her owner in April 2021. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of De Voogt.

Guest Accommodation

Boardwalk has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 14 guests in 7 suites comprising one VIP cabin. She is also capable of carrying up to 22 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include beauty salon, elevator, gym and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

Boardwalk is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel MTU (16V 4000 M63) 16-cylinder 3,046hp engines running at 1800rpm, she comfortably cruises at 17 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 19 knots with a range of up to 5,000 nautical miles from her 153,309 litre fuel tanks at 12 knots. Boardwalk features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 40,882 Litres of fresh water. She was built to Lloyds Register ✠ |100A1 SSC Yacht, Mono, G6 ✠ LMC, UMS classification society rules.

*Charter Boardwalk Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Boardwalk is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Boardwalk Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Boardwalk Photos

Boardwalk Awards & Nominations

• The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2022 Interior Design over 40m Finalist
• The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2022 Main Salon Finalist
• The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2022 Deck Design Finalist
• The World Superyacht Awards 2022 Displacement Motor Yachts Between 1500GT and 1999GT Nomination

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Specification

M/Y Boardwalk

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Inside the £30m Bayesian superyacht

The superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily had won multiple awards for its stylish interiors and design.

Mike Lynch , 59, and his teenage daughter, Hannah, are among the seven passengers and crew feared dead when his yacht, the Bayesian, sank off Porticello near the Sicilian city of Palermo.

Divers are searching the wreckage of the 184ft British-flagged vessel, which rests on the sea bed 160ft below the surface and 1,600ft from shore.

The Bayesian, previously called Salute, was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian shipyard, alongside yacht designer Ron Holland Design. 

When launched, it had the tallest aluminium mast in the world, at 237ft , earning the accolade of best exterior styling at the World Superyacht Awards in 2009.

Inside, the sleek, minimalist furnishings were created by Remi Tessier. The French design house also designed the 240ft-long Nautilus, owned by Thierry Stern, the president of Patek Philippe, and the 177ft-long Parsifal III, made famous by the television show Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

The Bayesian, which accommodated 12 guests in its master, three double and two twin bedrooms, was furnished with a teak deck and beige sofas set against dark wood furnishings.

Thin brown pillars and miniature terracotta sculptures offered a Japanese influence, while a crescent canvas awning kept guests cool on the top deck.

The superyacht won best interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards in 2008, and was also voted one of the best sailing yachts over 45 metres at the 2009 World Superyacht Awards.

Its original owner was John Groenewoud, a Dutch real estate developer, who was said to have purchased Salute from Eric Albada Jelgersma for a reported €35 million (£30 million) when it was built.

Mr Groenewoud, he founder of Built to Build Real Estate, set out an asking price of $35 million (£27 million) and sold the yacht in 2014, according to Boat International.

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

It was given the name because Bayesian was the subject of Mr Lynch’s PhD and the name of the statistical method that helped build his empire.

A former chief stewardess of the yacht has spoken of putting on themed occasions and games for the owner’s two daughters.

Monica Jensen, 48, worked on the 184ft superyacht from November 2018 to October 2020 and told The Telegraph: “I had a fantastic time.”

She said she was surprised to hear of the sinking because the boat had withstood the choppiest of seas, telling The Telegraph: “It seems a bit strange. We have been in bad weather with it, crossed the Atlantic. It’s been all over. These things definitely don’t happen very often.”

Ms Jensen said the crew would have been well drilled on the evacuation process, adding: “You can’t work on a boat without the right certificates, training, and you do drills monthly.”

The vessel, which was operated by Camper & Nicholsons, had twin 965hp MTU engines, giving it a range of 3,600 nautical miles at 13-15 knots.

RSB Rigging carried out rig service works on it in conjunction with Astilleros de Mallorca, a shipyard facility in Palma, in November 2016. The Bayesian returned in September 2020 for scheduled service works, with the mast removed and reinstalled.

Steve Branagh, the 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 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.

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Video: Inside award-winning Bayesian superyacht

The luxury sail yacht bayesian won best interior and best exterior styling at the international superyacht society awards 2008 and world superyacht awards 2009 respectively..

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How did the superyacht Bayesian sink? Experts say weather was just one factor

Divers searching for 6 missing people locate 5 bodies inside wrecked yacht's hull.

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A complicated search effort is underway deep beneath the surface of the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Italy, where a superyacht sank early Monday during a fierce storm. 

Dive crews are attempting to enter the wreck of the Bayesian, a 56-metre long British-flagged luxury vessel, which is sitting in some 50 metres of water near the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello.

Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew members on board were rescued. Divers searching for six people considered missing, including British businessman Mike Lynch, located five bodies inside the yacht's hull on Wednesday, and retrieved four of them from the water.

Searchers previously recovered the body of Recaldo Thomas, the ship's Canadian-Antiguan cook, in the water not far from where the Bayesian sank.  

• Diving team finds 5 bodies in Sicily yacht search
• Canadian dead, several others missing after superyacht capsizes off Sicilian coast

Questions have emerged about why a boat designed to handle severe weather sank so rapidly and whether or not some of its features could've been a factor in its demise. Maritime experts say investigations may, in time, reveal what led to the disaster.

"There needs to be an investigation as to why this happened, what went wrong and, you know, how to prevent it in the future cases," said Simon Boxall, an oceanographer and senior lecturer at the University of Southampton in England.

Canadian dead, others missing after superyacht sinks near Sicily

How did the bayesian sink so quickly.

Grainy footage from closed-circuit cameras on the shore broadcast on the website of the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper showed the Bayesian's majestic mast just before it disappeared. 

Karsten Borner, captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which rescued the survivors who managed to get into a lifeboat, told The Associated Press he was close enough to be able to see the Bayesian as the storm came in.

"A moment later, she was gone," he said.

The survivors told the rescuers they went flat on the water "and were sunk in two minutes."

Boxall said vessels rely on being able to steer and navigate stormy seas, but the Bayesian was anchored and stationary, which likely made it more vulnerable to the storm and, potentially, a waterspout , or mini tornado that creates a whirlwind over the surface of the sea. 

He said it was also dark, meaning "you wouldn't see this sort of very unique event coming towards you."

CCTV footage shows yacht Bayesian as deadly storm strikes

"It's a freak of nature," Boxall said. "I think the fact that so many have survived, so far, is probably a miracle."

Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander and defence commentator, told CBC News the weather was likely not the only issue.

He says it's rare that a weather event like this takes down a boat. 

"There's nearly always a sequence [of events]," he said in an interview from Guildford, England, explaining that everything from safety protocols to the culture on board the vessel needs to be taken into account. 

Was the boat's design part of the problem?

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Italian luxury yacht maker Perini Navi.

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic, told Reuters that a boat the size of the Bayesian could only sink so rapidly by taking on a huge amount of water. 

He suggested that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the waterspout, letting in water. There has also been media speculation that a major hatch might have been inadvertently left open.

Reports have also highlighted that the Bayesian featured a 72-metre mast — one of the tallest in the world. 

Ratti said an unusually tall mast is not by itself an element of vulnerability in a storm. 

A second expert, structural engineer Filippo Mattioni, was also skeptical about the suggestion the boat may have sunk due to a broken mast, which likely would have caused major damage smashing against the hull.

Fire department diver Marco Tilotta told the newspaper Il Messaggero that the wreck was "apparently intact," with "no gashes, no signs of impact." However, only half of the hull is visible to divers.

The Bayesian also had a retractable keel — the fin-like structure under the hull that helps stabilize boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast. 

Both Ratti and Mattioni wondered if the yacht had been anchored with the keel up, reducing the vessel's depth under water and making it less stable. Ratti said strong winds might have caused the boat to start oscillating wildly, "like a pendulum," putting exceptional strain on the mast.

Sharpe pointed out that a mast the size of the Bayesian's is designed for a massive sail, and without that sail raised and catching the wind, the gusts likely would've had a negligible impact on the aluminum pole.

• What we know about the capsized superyacht off the Sicilian coast

He instead suggested the anchor may have played a pivotal role.

"My kind of working assumption is that she was probably a bit further in at anchor, and it's very likely, in these sort of conditions, that her anchor dragged," he said. 

In such a situation, he said, a crew is better off steering toward the anchor to stabilize the vessel or raising the anchor and heading out to sea to ride out the storm.

"They might have got caught in that middle ground where they're not on a particularly good anchorage, but the anchor is now controlling the bow of the ship."

Sicily superyacht rescue: What divers are up against | About That

What caused the extreme weather.

Although Sharpe says the weather is unlikely the sole cause of the sinking, he notes the Mediterranean isn't the calm sea often pictured in travel brochures. 

"It can get pretty nasty," he said.

The type of storm that struck Monday is fuelled by warm water and the Mediterranean is warmer than ever, said Boxall, noting there's been about a three and a half degree increase in the 20-year average temperature.

'The ship behind us was gone,' says captain who rescued yacht passengers

Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected tempests more frequent. 

Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days leading up to the shipwreck was about 30 C. 

"This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," he told Reuters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior Writer

Nick Logan is a senior writer with CBC based in Vancouver. He is a multi-platform reporter and producer, with a particular focus on international news. You can reach out to him at [email protected].

With files from The Associated Press and Reuters

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4 bodies found inside the Bayesian, Mike Lynch family yacht, amid search

Four bodies were recovered inside the Bayesian superyacht on Wednesday, more than two days after it sank off the coast of Italy , setting off an exhaustive search for six missing people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch .

Two of the bodies discovered earlier on Wednesday were brought to shore. One body recovered was a heavily built man, Reuters reported.

Six of the ship's 22 passengers, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, went missing after the yacht plunged under the water just before 5 a.m. on Monday as a storm swept across the area. Americans are among the missing, officials have said.

The U.K.-registered yacht belonged to Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was also on board and was rescued. The tech tycoon was recently acquitted on fraud charges after a year under house arrest.

Ricardo Thomas, the ship's cook, was found dead on Monday, according to the coast guard.

The rescue mission saw a diving team, helicopters and multiple coast guard ships deployed to search the water. Fifteen people were pulled from the water on Monday, and eight were hospitalized in stable condition.

A 'black swan event'? Experts puzzle over why Bayesian yacht sank

An investigation opened by local prosecutors into the cause of the disaster is ongoing. Experts have pointed to a water spout, a tornado over the water that can travel up to 120 mph, that formed during the storm, as well as the heavy weight of ship's mast, one of the largest in the world.

The 184-feet-long ship was made by Italian ship manufacturer Perini in 2008.

Lynch set off on the cruise late last month to celebrate his acquittal on fraud charges in the U.S. that marked a decade of legal challenges, the Associated Press reported .

One of his lawyers and a character witness for Lynch during the trial were also on board and vanished when the boat went down. Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the four people found.

Here are the passengers who were declared missing.

Mike Lynch and Hannah Lynch

Mike Lynch, 59, is co-founder of Britain’s largest enterprise software, Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, and founder of venture capital fund Invoke Capital. 

Sometimes known as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” Lynch was slapped with charges after HP said it had uncovered deceit and a major accounting scandal within the firm. He spent a year on house arrest after being extradited from the UK.

In early June, at the end of a 12-week trial, a San Francisco jury acquitted Lynch of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was also cleared on a charge of securities fraud later that month.

Lynch and Bacares have two daughters and six dogs, all named after engineering parts, according to the U.K.’s Sunday Times in a profile of Lynch from last month.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was also among the missing. She was preparing to study English literature at Oxford University, according to the Sunday Times. 

Hannah is the younger of Mike Lynch’s two daughters, the Times reported . Mike Lynch told the outlet that his daughters had grown up with their father being publicly accused of fraud. 

Jonathan Bloomer and Judy Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer is the non-executive chairman of both Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox, among other companies. Bloomer acted as a character witness on Lynch’s behalf during his fraud trial. 

Hiscox Chief Executive Aki Hussain told Reuters in a statement that the firm was deeply shocked and saddened and their thoughts were with all those affected. 

Bloomer’s twin brother, Jeremy, told BBC that he is processing the news and the family is waiting to hear updates.

“He was my elder by half an hour, so, it means a lot when you lose a twin brother,” Jeremy Bloomer told BBC. “We’ll still wait and see, so it’s fingers crossed.”

Jonathan Bloomer’s wife, Judy, is a psychotherapist of nearly three decades and former teacher. She specializes in anxiety and stress. She studied English language and literature at Homerton College in Cambridge.

Christopher Morvillo and Neda Morvillo

A lawyer with Clifford Chance, Chris Morvillo was among the team that represented Mike Lynch during his trial. Morvillo is an American citizen. 

He was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2005, and he worked on the criminal investigation stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Morvillo was a graduate of Fordham University School of Law and Villanova University. 

Neda Morvillo, his wife, owns a hand-crafted jewelry company under her maiden name, Neda Nassiri. The company’s website said she has been designing and making jewelry for over 20 years.

In a post on LinkedIn after the conclusion of Lynch’s trial, Chris Morvillo acknowledged his family for their support during the case. 

“And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.  None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. 

And they all lived happily ever after…."

Contributing: Reuters

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'

Italian officials revealed at a news conference there could be "a question of manslaughter" as they opened a shipwreck investigation and said the probe is also looking at the "crew's responsibility".

Saturday 24 August 2024 18:33, UK

• Superyacht sinking

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• Prosecutor: There 'could be a question of manslaughter'
• Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility
• Seven bodies recovered after five-day search of superyacht wreckage off Sicily
• Saturday's papers pay tribute to youngest victim Hannah Lynch
• Hannah's sister pays tribute to 'my little angel'
• Explained: Inside the superyacht | What challenges have faced divers?
• Eyewitness: Sombre scenes greet rescue teams as final body is brought ashore
• Live reporting by Niamh Lynch

We're ending our live coverage for this evening but here is a recap of what we know:

• Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the Bayesian sinking;
• Officials have revealed more details on their investigation and the difficult five-day rescue mission;
• The six bodies found during the search in recent days were all in cabins on the left-hand - and highest - side of the ship. Five were found in the first cabin and the sixth was found in the third;
• Prosecutors said the six passengers were most likely asleep when the boat sank;
• The probe is now focusing on the crew and their responsibilities, with the captain set to undergo more questioning.

Monday 19 August

The Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, sinks at around 5am local time when the area was hit by a tornado.

Fifteen people are rescued from the 56 metre vessel - including a mother and baby - but another seven remain missing.

One body, later confirmed to be the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, is found near the wreck.

It emerges that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among six people that remain missing.

Tuesday 20 August

The search continues for the six tourists missing.

It is reported that among those missing are Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Police divers try to reach the hull of the ship, resting at a depth of 50 metres.

Italy's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco say early inspections of the wreck were "unsuccessful" because of limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages.

The operation is later described as "complex", with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Tributes pour in for Mr Thomas, with his friend Gareth Williams saying: "I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit."

Wednesday 21 August

The search for the six people unaccounted for enters a third day, with crews carrying out inspections of the yacht's internal hull.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrive in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

A helicopter is drafted in to help with the search effort and remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.

Five bodies are found inside the yacht on Wednesday afternoon. Only four of them are brought to shore.

Body bags are seen being taken to Porticello in the afternoon where dozens of emergency services staff wait.

Searches finish for the day just before 7.30pm.

Thursday 22 August

The search resumes for the remaining missing person.

The body of the fifth missing person, found but not recovered the previous day, is brought to shore.

A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returns with a blue body bag to the port of Porticello just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.

Tributes pour in for Mr Lynch and Mr and Mrs Bloomer after they are identified as having died.

The search is called off at around 8pm in Sicily, with divers expected to begin again at 6.30am on Friday.

Friday 23  August

The search continues for the final person missing from the wreck of the Bayesian, Hannah Lynch.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, says the search for Hannah has not been "easy or quick", comparing the sunken yacht to an "18-storey building full of water".

The coastguard confirms in the late morning that her body has been found.

A green body bag is brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking.

A spokesperson announces on behalf of the Lynch family that they are "devastated" and "in shock" after the deaths of Mike and Hannah.

Hannah's sister Esme pays tribute to her "little angel".

Saturday 24 August

A press conference is held in the court of an Italian town, Termini Imerese.

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio tells reporters that his office has opened an initial investigation against unknown persons into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.

As the focus now turns to the manslaughter investigation, here's another reminder of the seven victims of the sinking and the 15 people who survived. 

A close friend of the Lynch family has added to the chorus of tributes for British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who died in Monday's superyacht sinking.

Susannah Gurdun, who lives in Suffolk, recalled being "daunted" when she first met Mr Lynch at a dinner party, before discovering he was "so much more than the corporate cliche".

"He was riveting.  He was funny, and kind, and endlessly interesting; capable of talking about anything and everything," she said.

Ms Gardun said the businessman also had a "thrilling ability" to make complicated subjects "accessible to those of us less blessed with a science acumen".

"In particular, he was wonderful with children.  I will never forget hearing him explain to a group of them - including our ten year old son - the physics of why the sky went pink at sunset," she said.

She went on describe Mr Lynch as a "true genius" and "phenomenal creative".

Ms Gardun said his daughter Hannah was also showing "serious literary promise", and added that it was "beyond tragic that we will never know where her own particular brilliance might have led".

"I still feel blessed to have shared that time with them in Spain.  Not just because I witnessed Mike’s incredible storytelling; but because I was given a chance of understanding what that moment said about all four of them as a united vibrant loving family," she said.

"He was an extraordinary human being and it was - truly - a privilege to have known him."

A yacht crew member who survived the sinking has paid tribute to Hannah Lynch, calling her a "diamond in a sea of stars".

Sasha Murray, chief stewardess of the Bayesian, has released a statement after divers recovered the final missing body from the wreckage, which is believed to be 18-year-old Hannah.

"Those who knew her will know that Hannah was a diamond in a sea of stars," she said.

"Bright, beautiful and always shining. What most people may not have seen was the extraordinarily strong, deep and loving relationship she shared with her parents, whom she adored more than anything. 

"While swimming with them she often said, if anything ever happened she would save them. 

"I have no doubt that the Irish, Latina fire that burns in her soul kept that spirited determination alive."

Ms Murray's statement comes as a new image of Hannah Lynch and her father Mike Lynch is released:

Prosecutors announced in this morning's news conference that they have opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck investigation.

Officials were unable to answer several queries from the media, saying they needed time to establish the facts, but what are the key questions facing prosecutors? 

Why weren't passengers who remained on board the vessel warned about escaping from the yacht?

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, suggested that some passengers may have been asleep when others were awake.

Asked why they were not woken up or alerted, he said that is something investigators are trying to work out from the statements of the survivors.

He called it an "essential" part of the inquiry.

Why were several of the passengers in one cabin?

The press conference heard several bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which was not theirs.

Mr Cammarano said investigators currently do not know the reason for them being discovered in the same cabin.

The chief of the Palermo fire service, Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the yacht pinned to the right and suggested people tried to go on the other side, taking refuge in cabins in the higher part of the wreck.

Why did the boat sink?

The vessel had been deemed "unsinkable" by its manufacturer - Italian shipyard Perini Navi.

The Bayesian was hit by a downburst, according to Mr Cammarano, which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.

Officials will look into the safety equipment on the sunken vessel.

Mr Cammarano was asked about whether there is a black box and if the hatches were left open.

He said investigators do not have exact information about the black box and that the first phase of the inquiry will look into it.

Why were nearby vessels not similarly affected?

Another yacht, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when extreme weather hit.

Its crew helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken vessel.

Italian officials said they would be looking at how the downburst could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels.

What weather warnings was the Bayesian alerted to?

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, said the weather at the time of the yacht's sinking was abnormal and there was nothing to suggest such an extreme situation would arise.

He said there were forecasts of winds and a storm alert, but there was no warning of a tornado.

"Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising," he said.

"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

How long will it take to recover the sailing vessel?

Mr Macauda could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht.

"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation," he said.

"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject, [said] that it will be eight weeks."

He made clear that the owners will bear the full cost of retrieval, although he could not estimate the figure.

Italian authorities detailed the challenging and meticulous rescue operation to recover the six missing people from the Bayesian wreck (see 9.18am post).

But why was the five-day search so difficult? 

Read more below...

More on this morning's press conference. 

One of the main updates from prosecutors was that they have opened manslaughter and shipwreck investigations after the deaths of seven people in the Bayesian sinking. 

Watch the announcement below...

Prosecutors have given a lengthy news conference this morning on their investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian. 

Read the full report on the prosecutors' probe below...

Marine investigator James Wilkes has been speaking to Sky News after this morning's press conference.

"Naturally, there are more questions than there are substantive answers at the moment - that's the nature of investigative work.

"Something forced that yacht to roll beyond its nominal stability limits, such that it wasn't able to right itself with the ingress of a certain amount of seawater that was coming into the yacht. 

"So the investigators are going to ask themselves one initial question - what must the conditions have been for this to happen? 

"Then they are going to look at the contributing factors to the yacht, sinking, and, and the unfortunate loss of life." 

Prosecutors said this morning that the future of the investigation is reliant on recovering the wreck. 

Mr Wilkes said the yacht is a "major piece of physical evidence in and of itself." 

"It's lying at 50 metres, which is a recoverable depth. 

"If it was significantly deeper, then I'm not sure they'd be considering salvage at this stage or certainly, the salvage question would be a lot more complicated to answer. 

"But if there was the ability to raise that yacht in one piece safely, then it gives the investigators physically more to look at."

Mr Wilkes said he was unsure if the yacht would have a "black box" - called a voyage data recorder in shipping. 

"It would record things like GPS position, heading speed, engine telemetry, whether the radars were on, what they were recording, alarms, communications from the yacht itself, any audio on the bridge.

"But more often than not, these are on merchant ships. The yacht was a commercial yacht in the sense that it could be chartered out so it's quite possible it has a voyage data recorder on, but I'm not sure that it does. I don't know that as a matter of fact," he said.

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Mystery blond traveling with secretive telegram ceo was posting trip on social media before he was arrested — and now she’s missing.

A mystery blonde “crypto coach” who was traveling with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov cannot be located by her family following the secretive tech billionaire’s arrest in France this weekend.

Juli Vavilova, 24, who is also a video game streamer, is at the center of online speculation after she shared a series of glam pics while apparently traveling with Durov to Azerbaijan last week, according to matching social media posts highlighted by French privacy data researcher Baptiste Robert and others.

Online observers suggest those posts may have given away details about the exiled Russian mogul’s movements prior to his arrest. He was taken into custody after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday.

“It’s complicated to say if her posts played a direct role in his arrest, but if you were following her on social media, you could easily track Durov’s movements,” Robert told The Post.

Vavilova’s family is now telling the AFP news agency that they have not been able to get in touch with her since Durov’s arrest.

Durov’s arrest has outraged advocates for free speech in tech, including X owner Elon Musk. They claim he was targeted for refusing to give governments the keys to his encrypted app.

Vavilova’s relationship with Durov remains unclear, but her social media accounts are filled with photos and videos of her traveling across the Middle East within the same time frame as the Telegram CEO’s known trips to those places.

Robert put together a compilation of such posts on X, including videos of the two of them together in Uzbekistan taken earlier in the summer by a Russian blogger.

Another post seems to show Vavilova in the passenger seat of the car Durov was driving in Azerbaijan on Aug. 21, with the two posting images of themselves at the same shooting range and later in the same hotel in the nation’s capital.

It’s unknown how or when Vavilova and Durov met, but both of them live in Dubai, where Durov based Telegram after fleeing Russia 2014 when he refused to hand over encrypted data to the Kremlin.

Durov was neither in hiding nor on the run, with the dual-French citizen regularly making trips to Europe, his company said in a statement.

French authorities had issued a search warrant for Durov as a part of the Interior Ministry’s investigation into charges of crimes against minors.

His arrest has sparked international intrigue and questions around why exactly he was arrested.

French officials allege Durov is complicit with global drug trafficking, pedophilia and fraud that run rampant on Telegram due to lack of moderation and the tools it offers, including cryptocurrencies.

“At the heart of the case is the absence of moderation and cooperation on the part of the platform,” Jean-Michel Bernigaud, secretary general of France’s Ofmin police agency said in a statement.

His relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime also remains unclear. Telegram was blocked in Russia in 2018, but then permitted again two years later and it is a major social media platform for Russian officials as well as the Russian military, according to the BBC .

Online rumors speculated — without evidence — that Durov’s Azerbaijan visit was so that he could meet with Putin, a claim the Kremlin denies.

It is also unclear why Durov would return to Paris on his private plane when the warrant is only valid if he steps on French soil, as authorities would be alerted to his landing.

Representatives for the billionaire could not be immediately reached for comment.

Telegram has also drawn criticism from many governments around the globe for allowing militants and organized criminals to discreetly communicate on the app, which emphasizes user privacy above all.

Durov, who Forbes estimates is worth about $15.5 billion, has said repeatedly that Telegram is a neutral social media platform and that he fled Russia to avoid taking orders from Moscow.

Russia notably began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the company refused to comply with a court order to give the state access to its users’ data, with the government eventually lifting the ban in 2020.

French officials said Durov will be held for at least two more days, but the exact charges being levied against him remain unclear — much to the dismay of Durov’s supporters who have slammed the arrest as an attack on freedom of speech.

Reacting to the arrest on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Durov’s arrest was “not a political decision at all.”

“It is up to the justice system, in total independence, to enforce the law,” Macron said.

With Post wires

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