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 to the yard in September 2020 for scheduled service works, which saw 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.”
