Mike Lynch Yacht’s Captain Faces Investigation

Italian publications state that the captain of the Mike Lynch yacht is under scrutiny.

According to Italian media sources on Monday, Italian authorities will look into the captain of British tech magnate Mike Lynch’s superyacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily last week during a strong storm, killing Lynch and six other people.

The decision could not be independently verified by Reuters. In Italy, being under investigation does not automatically result in official charges or imply guilt. The 51-year-old New Zealander James Cutfield is under investigation for shipwreck and manslaughter, according to the newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica.

Cutfield was questioned by magistrates for over two hours on Sunday, marking the second time in a week that he was spoken to, according to la Repubblica.

Prosecutors might look into a crew member who was on duty throughout the storm and made it off alive, according to the statement.

A predawn storm struck the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged superyacht Bayesian on Monday, just minutes before it overturned and sank while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily, carrying 22 people.

The Bayesian was owned by Lynch’s wife’s company, one of the fifteen survivors. Hannah, Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, was one of the victims.

Although a sudden meteorological catastrophe had struck the yacht, multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck by negligence might have been committed, according to Ambrogio Cartosio, head of the public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese, who made this statement on Saturday.

It stated that prosecutors might look into a crew member who was on duty during the storm and made it out alive. Within minutes of being struck by a predawn storm while anchored off northern Sicily on Monday, the British-flagged superyacht Bayesian, measuring 56 meters (184 feet) in length, overturned and sank, taking 22 passengers with her.

Lynch’s wife, whose business owned the Bayesian, was among the fifteen survivors. Hannah Lynch, the actress’s 18-year-old daughter, was one of the deceased.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese, stated on Saturday that although the boat had been struck by an unexpected weather occurrence, multiple manslaughter and creating a shipwreck due to negligence might have been committed.

A captain is fully responsible for the ship, crew, and everyone on board under maritime law. Cutfield and the other eight crew members who are still alive have not yet addressed the tragedy in public.

In an interview that was published on Monday, Franco Romani, a marine architect who was a member of the design team, stated that “the Bayesian was built to go to sea in any weather.”

He stated that it was most likely a side hatch that was left open that allowed water to enter the yacht. Romani added that the crew should have made sure that all openings had been closed and the anchor had been removed before the storm struck the boat since they had overestimated the severity of the inclement weather.