More than 400 people gathered for the funeral of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, two months after they died in the superyacht tragedy.
Seven people died when Lynch’s £30 million Bayesian yacht sank in just 16 minutes after being caught in a freak storm off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village off the coast of Sicily, in the early hours of August 19.
Fifteen people – including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – survived the tragedy that occurred just months after a US court acquitted him of a multimillion-dollar fraud involving software giant Hewlett Packard.
An inquest ruled earlier this month that Lynch drowned, but her daughter’s death is still under investigation.
As Italian authorities continue to investigate the tragedy, about 450 mourners packed St James’s Piccadilly Church in central London on Thursday to say goodbye to Lynch and her daughter.
Mr Lynch’s coffin, covered with a robe with a photograph of the family home in Suffolk, was carried by friends and colleagues to the church.
Hannah, who was due to start an undergraduate degree at Oxford University this year, had her coffin lifted by her classmates at Latymer College in west London. His shroud was decorated with one of his many poems.
Mike Lynch, 59, and Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank in August.
Hannah is shown hugging the family’s Shetland sheepdog named Faucet, her father’s favorite dog.
A photograph provided on August 19 by the Perini Navi Press Office shows the sailboat ‘Bayesiano’, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
Walking behind the coffins was Lynch’s widow, Bacares, carrying a Shetland sheepdog called Faucet, her husband’s favorite dog. The couple’s eldest daughter, Esme, 22, also followed, along with three other family dogs.
According Sunday weatherMourners entered the church as The Beatles’ Blackbird and Neil Young’s Harvest Moon played.
Standing between the two coffins, the Rev. Lucy Winkett told mourners: “I say welcome because you are, but the truth is, of course, no one wants to be here.”
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sir Paul Nurse praised Lynch, known as the “Bill Gates of Britain”, for his “enormous contribution” to the country.
During the eulogy, he also expressed frustration toward the government, which handed Lynch over to U.S. authorities last year.
‘How is it possible that he has been so betrayed by the previous government? Why did he allow such a skewed and asymmetrical extradition deal to be implemented between the UK and the US that put Mike under house arrest in the US with a real threat of spending decades in prison? “This was wrong and, in my opinion, it was disgraceful, disgraceful and shameless,” he said.
“My words are strong because I am still angry about this.”
The second person to speak was Albert Read, former CEO of Condé Nast UK and a family friend with daughters similar in age to the Lynches.
Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy were among those who died
Lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (both pictured) did not survive the superyacht tragedy.
Recaldo Thomas, chef at Bayesiano, was the first person recovered after the sinking of the yacht
He told mourners that Lynch was in line to receive a knighthood in 2012, but quietly recanted after accusations from Hewlett Packard.
“Mike shrugged his shoulders and was much prouder to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of 2014,” Read said.
He added that Lynch felt deep “gratitude for the loyalty of those who supported him during those difficult years.”
After the second hymn, Jerusalem, the emotional service moved on to remembering Hannah, whose former head of English described her as a special student.
She was the last of the seven to be found, four days after the sinking, with her body hidden behind a mattress below deck.
Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, head of English at Latymer, told the church: ‘I have a first-class English double degree from Oxford. At 17, Hannah is more capable than I was when I was 17, and in many ways, she is capable of more than I am now.
Two of Hannah’s closest friends also recalled her appetite for reading and debate, her nights at Latin camp talking about children or the meaning of life.
An Italian fire service diving team returns to port on the fifth day of the search and recovery operation after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm
Others read his poetry, while a musician played Just Like Heaven by The Cure.
This was followed by a sermon, the Lord’s Prayer and the recommendation.
The pallbearers lifted the coffins and walked back down the aisle, past Esme and Angela, while the guitarist sang Forever Young by Alphaville.
Both Mr. Lynch and his daughter’s coffins had a packet of their favorite sweets taped to the side.
The funeral came almost exactly two months after the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily.
At the time of the sinking, a total of 10 passengers and 12 crew members were on board. The bodies of those who died, including Lynch and Hannah, were recovered after a search by divers over several days.
Morgan Stanley International bank president Jonathan Bloomer, 70, his wife Judy, 71, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were found dead. Hannah was the last to be found.
The yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was also immediately located at the scene.