The Mallorcan nexus of the luxury yacht sunk in Sicily

The Bayesian, computer magnate Mike Lynch’s supersailboat wrecked in Sicily, is no exception. This tragedy, which claimed the lives of seven people – including Lynch himself and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah – has been experienced in the marine areas of Palma almost as if it had occurred in the waters of its bay. Everyone knew that the sunken ship was a regular customer of the Astilleros de Mallorca company, founded in 1942 and considered one of the most solvent in the world in the field of large renovation of ships for leisure. And everyone knew that its captain, New Zealander James Catfield, an experienced 51-year-old sailor with three decades of experience at sea, lives in the municipality of Calvia with his Spanish wife Cristina, a worker at Astilleros de Mallorca. The two were married two years ago.

The news of the sinking had an “immediate and brutal” impact on the port of Palma, explains the captain of a 20-meter sailboat moored on the pontoon of the STP slipway, the largest esplanade for repairs in Mallorca. The Bayesian, 56 meters long, claims to have the largest aluminum mast in the world: 73 meters, equivalent to a building of about 25 floors; for this reason, it was one of the symbols of the Perini Navi shipyard, the manufacturing company, along with the Maltese Falcon and Seahawk boats, known for their bombastic and disruptive rigs.

It hasn’t even been a month since the last review

It was not even a month ago that the damaged ship had docked in Palma, heading towards its dramatic end in Sicily. This last stop went unnoticed amid the sea of ​​megayachts moored in Palma during the summer but, once the ship sank, it was not difficult to trace its Mallorcan connection and discover on the internet the operation to dismantle and reinstall its mast under the supervision of Astilleros de Mallorca in 2016.

The task was so huge that the company itself dedicated an extensive video report to it. The piece is available on their YouTube channel and is undoubtedly very interesting to understand the dimensions of the ship and, of course, the disaster that its sinking caused, not only for the dead guests, the surviving crew, the construction company and the insurers. But, in general, for the superyacht industry, which is facing the biggest reputation crisis in its history amid contradictory versions about the causes of the ship accident.

Constructor version

Giovanni Costantino, founder and CEO of the holding company that controls Perini Navi, did not mince words when placing all responsibility for the disaster on the Bayesian ‘Mallorca’ captain. In his opinion, the ship accident was caused by “a very long list of errors” on the part of the crew. It does not fit in his mind that “one of the safest ships in the world” and “practically unsinkable” now lies at a depth of 50 meters on the seabed.

“There should not have been people in the cabins and the ship should not have been anchored,” but rather should have been facing the storm in the shelter of a port or in open waters, when, in the early hours of August 19, at its greatest moment of vulnerability, it appeared that a giant marine sleeve fell on it, the CEO of Perini Navi said in an intervention in which his position as an involved party could not be ignored. Only 100% human error would absolve the builder of any blame.

Nautilus, an international association that brings together workers in the recreational marine sector, has already responded to Constantino in a statement saying that the crew and captain of the Bayesian are “experienced maritime professionals”, and warning that “any attempt to question their conduct without knowing all the facts is inappropriate and detrimental to the process of uncovering the truth and learning the lessons of this tragedy.”

“It’s too early to draw conclusions”

Rafael Velasco, dean of naval and marine engineers in the Balearic Islands, is closely following the investigations carried out by Italian authorities and British experts. He says it is “too early” to draw conclusions, but remembers that “no accident, whether marine or of any other nature, is caused by the same cause.” He also emphasizes that the forces of nature sometimes surpass even the most pessimistic calculations. Not even a week ago, the same depression that hit the Bayesian in Palermo sent fifty boats ashore on the coast of Formentera, including a 40-meter sailing superyacht. The cold drop – now called DANA – generated spectacular sea waves that were recorded in amateur videos and photographs.

Given the builder’s strong position, James Catfield is now facing the biggest storm of his life, on dry land, after the Palermo prosecutor’s office opened proceedings for multiple manslaughter and shipwreck. His Mallorcan friends have opened a collection via an internet platform to help the crew “with the mental, physical and financial challenges that lie ahead”. “I hope that the result of our help will allow the crew to move on with their lives and receive the support of our maritime community”, says Paul Madden, promoter of the initiative.

Yacht captains are highly paid professionals, whose monthly salary can be up to 20,000 euros, depending on the size of the boat. As on a merchant ship, yacht or cruise ship, they have absolute command and their orders are mandatory for any member of the crew, including the owner. In practice, indicates one of these professionals who prefers to remain anonymous, it is not always easy to explain to the ship owner that in the face of a storm warning, like the one that sank the Bayesian or caused chaos in Formentera, it is good to suggest the sailor to weigh anchor if there is no port to take refuge nearby, abandon the comfort of the anchorage and go to face the storm in the open sea. «You have to have a very special character to impose your hierarchy and contradict your employer. But, if necessary, that is what is expected of us.