A former captain of the shipwrecked Bayesian superyacht has broken his silence on the tragedy that left seven people dead off the coast of Sicily last week.
Stephen Edwards, who previously captained the ship between 2015 and 2020, has shared his theory about the yacht’s “limitations” that could have contributed to its sinking in a storm, as investigators seek to uncover what happened that fateful morning.
Writing on the Scuttlebutt website yesterday, he said he was “100 per cent” sure the hull had not been left open overnight, adding that there were no opening windows or portholes on board.
While he avoided “contributing to wild speculation” surrounding the incident, he said the vessel “was in good condition and seaworthy by design, and as far as I know, well maintained as such.”
Tilting the ship more than 45 degrees could have led to flooding “and subsequent losses if it could not have been controlled,” he suggested, and weather conditions could have created “extreme circumstances” with little time to react.
Former Bayesian captain Stephen Edwards shared his ‘notes’ on the tragic sinking
A photograph provided on August 19 by the Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesiano’ sailboat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were killed in the Bayesian tragedy when their superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
“Tipping her more than 45 degrees while in normal operating status could lead to flooding and subsequent losses if the flooding cannot be controlled,” the former captain wrote in a post on the website. Navigation news website.
Heel is a technical term referring to how a boat “tilts” or leans to one side, usually caused by the force of the wind on the sails.
‘The downward flooding angle for the Bayesian method was around 40-45 degrees…much smaller than the vanishing stability angle (where the vessel cannot return to an upright position).
‘Therefore, unless the vents are closed (which would NOT be the case with the HVAC systems and generator running, as they must be open for that), the vessel will begin to flood rapidly if it tilts more than the downward flooding angle.’
He added that bad weather conditions “could have created these extreme circumstances” which can occur with “very little warning” and “being so localised are difficult to prepare for, leaving very little time for the crew to react.”
The Bayesian had only one door in the hull, he added, noting that it could only be opened in “completely calm conditions,” meaning it was certainly “not open at night.”
Edwards noted that the mast and rigging “presented structural challenges during construction and service life,” but that it was ultimately “a robust, well-controlled rig… that performed well, within the limits of the design.”
“The vessel is delivered with a set of sail plan recommendations that, for a variety of wind intensities, will result in the vessel sailing within the structural limits of the rig and the heel limits of the hull,” he said.
“What investigators will have to determine, and I’m sure they will, is how the vessel was taken outside its operational limits,” Edwards concluded.
Recaldo Thomas, chef at the Bayesian, was the first person to be rescued after the yacht sank on Monday
Judy and Jonathan Bloomer died on the Bayesian when it capsized in the water.
The bodies of Neda and Chris Morvillo, photographed in 2018, were also recovered last week.
The underwater conditions were described as “complex” and “prohibitive” for divers who, called in from all over Italy to help, searched for the bodies of those on board.
Divers were only allowed to go down for 10 minutes at a time due to the 50m depth, which is far deeper than most recreational divers are qualified to reach.
The comments came as James Cutfield, the captain of the Bayesian when it sank on August 19, underwent his first formal questioning by an Italian magistrate on Tuesday.
Cutfield’s lawyers said he was still too “shaken up” to give a statement after he was placed under investigation Monday for negligent wrecking and multiple homicide.
Under Italian law, being under investigation does not imply any guilt and does not necessarily lead to criminal charges.
Cutfield’s representative, Alba Mordiglia, said the captain wanted to cooperate with the investigation but later said he had used his right to remain silent.
“There were two reasons,” Mordiglia said. The times“It is understandable that he is very affected and, secondly, we were appointed lawyers yesterday and we needed to obtain information that we did not have in order to be able to defend him.”
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed that an investigation had been launched.
He said his team would consider every possible element of liability, including those of the captain, the crew, those in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
While the yacht is believed to have been hit by a very sudden weather event, it is plausible that crimes of multiple homicide and shipwreck due to negligence were committed, Termini Imerese chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said on Saturday.
Maritime law gives the captain full responsibility for the ship and crew, as well as for the safety of all on board.
Seven people, including six passengers and one crew member, drowned in the tragedy during a powerful storm.
Among the passengers were British tech mogul Mick Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, described how she held her one-year-old baby over the waves to save her from drowning before she was rescued with 14 othersincluding Cutfield.
His company, Revton Ltd, owned the Bayesian.
Dr Lynch with his wife Angela, who managed to escape Monday’s disaster.
Hannah was a pupil at Latymer High School in West London and had won a place at Oxford to study English literature.
A life raft belonging to the yacht Bayesian at the scene of the accident in the port of Porticello
Fire service diving team returns to port on fourth day of search and recovery operation
Salvage experts say investigators could now attempt to salvage the ship in an operation estimated to cost £13m that could take six to eight weeks to gather vital information.
Nick Sloane, who led the operation to recover the Costa Concordia after it sank in 2012, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica it would have to be completed by mid-October, without giving a reason.
‘We have to recover the ship as it is, whole, trying to keep it intact as much as possible.’
Such an operation could require cranes and up to 40 divers, but could provide clues to the sequence of events before the tragedy unfolded.
But underwater conditions have already been described as “complex” and “prohibitive” for divers searching for the bodies of those on board the ship.
The 180-foot, British-flagged Bayesian was built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi and was refitted in 2020.
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