Crew describe nightmare on "Bayesian" "We were catapulted into the sea"
The investigation by the Italian public prosecutor's office has been in full swing for weeks following the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily. Now the accused crew members are speaking out.
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- The luxury yacht Bayesian sank unusually quickly during a stormy night off Sicily on August 19.
- Seven of the 22 people on board lost their lives in the accident.
- New statements from crew members should now shed light on how the accident occurred.
- The Italian public prosecutor's office is also examining further witness statements and carrying out autopsies on the recovered bodies.
For weeks, Italian investigators have been puzzling over how the luxury yacht Bayesian was able to sink unusually quickly during a violent stormy night off the Sicilian coast. So far, it is clear that the ship must have been hit by a so-called downburst, a weather phenomenon that can generate winds with the speed of a tornado.
In addition, a large amount of water entered the boat, which was described by the manufacturer as "unsinkable", in a very short space of time. New statements from the three accused crew members now shed light on the matter.
No one was wearing a life jacket
"Sailor Griffiths woke me up and reported wind speeds of up to 20 knots," recalls the unfortunate captain James Cutfield of the devastating night of the storm, according to the "Corriere della Sera". "I checked the instruments and it was right. I immediately went out and asked the crew to alert everyone on board because I didn't like the situation," says the New Zealander.
Despite the strong winds, there was no panic on board the ship at the beginning. The crew had taken appropriate precautions, closed hatches and windows and secured cushions and plants. At this time, however, no one on board the "Bayesian" was wearing a life jacket.
Then the situation suddenly deteriorated.
Cutfield reports that the ship tilted 45 degrees and then suddenly capsized to the right. "We were catapulted into the sea," the captain recalls.
They then somehow made it back on board in the middle of the storm, Griffiths says, describing the nightmare that was unfolding on the "Bayesian" at the time: "We somehow got back on the bridge and tried to form a human chain to rescue those who made it to that gap from the accommodation deck. They were trudging up the walls because the boat was in the water," says the sailor, reconstructing what happened.
"The first in the chain was the captain, who reached down. He helped everyone, the women, the mother with the little girl ... but we sank and some unfortunately didn't make it," Griffith continues.
"Everything was closed"
The crew cannot explain how so much water was able to penetrate the interior of the ship during this time. Technical officer Tim Parker Eaton claims to have activated all the generators and the hydraulic pumps at the helm. And no hatch had been left open, as Italian media and experts had repeatedly speculated in recent weeks.
"Everything was closed," says Eaton. According to the technician, the only thing that remained open was the access to the engine room. However, as this was on the opposite side of the capsize, in his opinion this could not have contributed to the sinking.
The lawyers of the three accused crew members are now considering having the yacht, which is considered "unsinkable", examined for possible technical defects. In addition, a meteorological report could be commissioned to determine the exact strength of the storm that hit the ship that night, writes the "Corriere della Sera".
Sails not retracted properly?
In addition to the statements of the crew members, the Italian investigators are currently investigating another witness statement. The owner of a boatyard in Porticello, who witnessed the storm from shore, is said to be certain that the Bayesian did not retract its sails properly during the storm.
"I am sure that the sails were flapping before the boat sank," the witness also told the Italian media. The woman, whose statements were classified as "important" by the investigators according to "Corriere della Sera", was questioned by the Italian authorities for over two hours.
The public prosecutor's office is hoping for further clues from the autopsy of the bodies recovered from the shipwreck. This is due to begin on Monday.
British billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who died in the sinking of the "Bayesian". (archive picture)
Image: Uncredited/Lynch family via TANCREDI/AP
Investigators speak out after the sinking of the "Bayesian".
Image: dpa
Public prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said at a press conference in Palermo: "It was a sudden, abrupt event."
Image: dpa
British billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who died in the sinking of the "Bayesian". (archive picture)
Image: Uncredited/Lynch family via TANCREDI/AP
Investigators speak out after the sinking of the "Bayesian".
Image: dpa
Public prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said at a press conference in Palermo: "It was a sudden, abrupt event."
Image: dpa
