YACHT ACCIDENTYacht Crew’s Decisions Questioned as Investigation Continues
Investigators continue to piece together the events which led to the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian on 19 August. They focus on two issues: whether the yacht’s keel was lowered to provide stability as the storm raged, and whether large quantities of water managed to flood the yacht and sink it. The crew’s decisions may have contributed to problems with both issues. The captain n and two crew members are being investigated for manslaughter by the Italian police.
The Italian police is investigating two more crew members from the Bayesian for manslaughter after seven people died when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily on 19 August.
The yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, has “exercised his right to remain silent, according to his lawyer.
“The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons,” lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters. “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defense case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”
Before he was instructed by his lawyers to keep quiet, the captain told Italian media that “We didn’t see it coming,” referring to the storm.
The police noted that being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will be filed.
The captain and eight other crew members survived.
The head of the company which built the Bayesian, Giovanni Costantino, told Mark Lowen of the BBC that he was convinced there had been a litany of errors on board.
“At the back of the boat, a hatch must have been left open,” he said, “but also perhaps a side entrance for water to have poured inside.
“Before the storm, the captain should have closed every opening, lifted anchor, turned on the engine, pointed into the wind and lowered the keel.”
“That would have stabilized the vessel, they would have been able to traverse the storm and continue their cruise in comfort,” he said.
A keel is a large, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base.
Stephen Edwards was captain of the Bayesian from 2015 to 2020. He posted comments on the accident on Linkedin, noting that he is not familiar with the specifics of the accident, but well familiar with the Bayesian. In his comments, Edwards also notes the importance of the keel for stabilizing the yacht during storms.
Here is his post:
Having been bombarded with requests for information from journalists around the World for my input into the loss of S/Y Bayesian a week ago, I have finally decided to make some notes on the subject.
