New Zealand lawyer recovers after Italian superyacht tragedy

 

The father of a New Zealand lawyer who was aboard a superyacht has told 1News his daughter was left “severely traumatised” after the luxury vessel sank during a violent storm off Sicily yesterday.

Ayla Ronald, 36, was among 22 people on board the Bayesian, a 180-foot (56-meter) British-flagged sailing vessel, when a severe storm reportedly broke the mast, causing the yacht to sink.

Although she was safe and sound, her father Lin told 1News that she was still “recovering.”

Lin said his daughter was a senior associate at British law firm Clifford Chance and part of the legal team of British tech tycoon and shipping magnate Mike Lynch, who was invited on the trip following his recent acquittal in a U.S. fraud case.

The Associated Press reported that Lynch and five others were still missing, citing civil protection and Italian authorities. Lynch’s wife and 14 others survived.

Lynch, who was acquitted in a U.S. fraud trial in June, was among six people who have not been located since their rented sailboat sank off Porticello. An overwater tornado, known as a waterspout, struck the area overnight, said Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency.

A body has been recovered and police divers are trying to reach the hull of the vessel, which lies at a depth of 50 metres off Porticello, near Palermo, where it was anchored, rescue authorities said.

Another New Zealander was on board

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that more than one New Zealander was involved in the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily.

“We can confirm that two New Zealanders were involved in the incident. The New Zealand Embassy in Rome is providing consular assistance. We have no reason to believe that there are any New Zealanders among the missing.

“For privacy reasons, no further information will be provided.”

The Bayesian had a crew of 10 and 12 passengers, the Italian coast guard said. A sudden and violent storm hit the area overnight, hitting exactly where the 180-foot British-flagged yacht was moored.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cocina told The Associated Press.

Another nearby superyacht was reported to have been less badly damaged and had helped rescue some of the 15 survivors, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.

Bayesian was famous for her single 75-metre mast, one of the world’s tallest made of aluminium, which was lit up at night, just hours before she sank. Online charter sites listed her for rent for up to €195,000 (NZ$353,701) a week.

A survivor, identified as Charlotte Emsley, said she momentarily lost her grip on her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water but then managed to hold her above the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing her mother. Her father, James Emsley, also survived, Cocina said.

Eight of the 15 people rescued and brought ashore in Porticello were taken to hospital, while the others were taken to a hotel. One body, believed to be that of the cook, was found near the wreck, but six others were not found and are believed to be inside the hull, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the Italian fire-rescue service.

Rescue teams located the vessel and deep-sea police divers attempted to access the hull, Cari said. The operation, visible from the shore, involved helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard, firefighters and the civil protection service.

“I think the missing people are inside,” says the fisherman
Fisherman Francesco Cefalu’ said he saw a rocket from the shore around 4.30am (local time) and immediately went to the site, but when he arrived, the Bayesian had already sunk and only cushions, wood and other objects from the superyacht were floating in the water.

“But otherwise, we haven’t found anyone,” he said from the port hours later. He said he alerted the coast guard and stayed on site for three hours, but found no survivors. “I think they’re inside, all the missing.”

He said he got up early to check the weather and see if he could go fishing and thought a waterspout had suddenly hit the yacht.

“It could be that the mast broke, or the bow anchor pulled it, I don’t know,” he said.

Multinational crew and passengers

Cocina said the crew and passengers were from several countries: in addition to Britain and the United States, passengers and crew were from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain, he said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families”.

Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Casper Soetekouw said the only Dutch citizen on board, a man, had been rescued and was not in danger of life.

Lynch, once considered Britain’s tech king, was cleared in June of fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion (NZ$18 billion) acquisition of his company, Autonomy Corp.

The not guilty verdicts came after an 11-week criminal trial in San Francisco that delved into the history of HP’s 2011 acquisition of Autonomy, an enterprise software company founded by Lynch.

The fraud allegations represented a sea change in the fortunes of an entrepreneur once described as Britain’s Bill Gates, a title he appeared to live up to when he raked in $800 million (NZ$1.3 billion) from the sale of Autonomy.

The acquittal exonerated Lynch, who had vehemently denied any wrongdoing and described HP as a technological disaster.

“I look forward to returning to the UK and getting back to doing what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said in a statement released after the verdict.

According to Charter World and Yacht Charters, the yacht, built in 2008 by Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, one triple and the owner’s suite, as well as crew quarters.

According to descriptions and photos on rental sites, the vessel, which was previously called Salute when it flew the Dutch flag, featured an elegant, minimalist interior in light wood with Japanese accents, designed by French designer Remi Tessier.

— more information from The Associated Press

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