5 person yacht

What Size Yacht Requires a Crew? (For Different Lengths)

While smaller yachts can be operated by a single person, larger yachts require a trained crew to operate them safely. Different types of yachts also have different crew needs, which can depend on the yacht's size, features, and intended use. In this article, we'll let you know what size yacht requires a crew, and how many crew are needed for different types and lengths of yacht.

Yachts that are over 30 feet in length require a crew to operate them safely. A yacht that is 100 feet in length requires a crew of at least four to six people, including a captain, engineer, stewardess, and deckhand. Meanwhile, yachts that are under 30 feet in length can be operated by a single person.

Recreational yachts are typically smaller and used for leisure activities like fishing, cruising, and water sports. Since these yachts are usually 30 feet or smaller, they can be operated by a single person without a crew. Let's see how many crew members are needed for other types of yachts.

• If the yacht is under 30 feet and is being used for recreational cruising, a crew of two is usually sufficient.
• A 90-foot yacht with multiple decks and luxury amenities may require a crew of 8–12 people, including a captain, first mate, chef, stewardess, and deckhand.
• For sailing yachts between 30 and 50 feet, a crew of four to six is typically required.
• A small superyacht may have a crew of around 20 people, while a larger one may require a crew of 50 or more.
• The cost of hiring a full-time yacht crew can range from $50,000 to $200,000 per crew member per year.

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Crew requirements for different yacht sizes, yacht types and their crew needs, the cost of hiring a yacht crew and the role of each member.

The size of the yacht is a key factor in determining whether you will need a crew and how many crew members you will require. Below is a table summarizing the crew size requirements for different yacht sizes:

Crew size for yachts under 30 feet

Yachts that are under 30 feet in length are generally small enough to be operated by a single person. However, you still need to have some experience and knowledge of boating to operate them safely. It is also recommended to have at least one additional person on board for safety reasons.

If the yacht is being used for recreational cruising, a crew of two is usually sufficient. You may also need to obtain a recreational boating license depending on your location.

Not sure how to get a boating license? Find which state you're in and get a boating license here.

Crew size for yachts between 30 and 75 feet

Yachts that are between 30 and 75 feet in length may require a crew. These yachts are designed to be operated by a small crew or a couple, with one person serving as captain and the other as crew.

If you have experience and the yacht has upgraded features like autopilot, you may be able to captain your own yacht without a crew. However, if you are new to yachting or the yacht has more advanced features, you may need to hire a crew.

For recreational cruising, a crew of two to four people is usually sufficient . For larger yachts, there may be additional crew members such as a chef, stewardess, or engineer.

Crew size for yachts over 75 feet

Yachts that are over 75 feet in length generally require a crew to operate them safely. The exact number of crew members you will be based on the size and features of the yacht.

• A 90-foot yacht with multiple decks and luxury amenities may require a crew of 8-12 people, including a captain, first mate, chef, stewardess, and deckhand.
• A 100-foot yacht with advanced navigation and communication systems may require a crew of 10-15 people, including a captain, engineer, deckhand, chef, stewardess, and possibly a security officer.
• A 120-foot yacht with a helicopter pad, swimming pool, and other high-end features may require a crew of 12-20 people, including a captain, engineer, deckhand, chef, stewardess, helicopter pilot, and other specialized staff as needed.

Crew size for yachts over 300 feet

Bigger yachts require more crew members because they tend to be more complex and have more systems and equipment that need to be maintained and operated. Additionally, larger yachts typically have more amenities and features that require specialized staff, such as spa therapists, dive instructors, and security personnel.

A yacht that is 300 feet or more in length may have multiple decks, a helipad, a swimming pool, a movie theater, a gym, and other luxurious amenities that require a larger crew to operate and maintain.

In addition, larger yachts may require more crew members to ensure the safety of the guests and the vessel, especially when navigating in challenging waters or during adverse weather conditions. Larger yachts also often provide a higher level of service, which requires more crew members to ensure that every guest's needs are met.

Different types of yachts have different crew needs, which can depend on the yacht's size, features, and intended use. Here's what you need to know about yacht types and their crew needs:

Crew size for recreational yachts

Recreational yachts are typically smaller and used for leisure activities like fishing, cruising, and water sports. Yachts that are 30 feet or smaller can usually be operated by a single person without a crew.

However, larger recreational yachts, like those in the 50-100-foot range, may require a small crew for maintenance and management.

Crew size for sailing yachts

Sailboats are a popular type of yacht used for racing, cruising, and exploring. For sailing yachts between 30 and 50 feet, a crew of four to six is typically required. This crew would include a captain, a first mate, a cook, and one or two deckhands.

For yachts over 50 feet, the crew size can range from six to 20 or more. This is because some yachts may also have additional staff, such as a chef, a stewardess, and a masseuse. These staff members are typically hired to provide luxury services to guests onboard.

One of the hidden costs of buying and owning a 50-foot yacht is the costs for staff and crew, which ranges around $50,000 - $150,000 per year.

Crew size for superyachts

Superyachts are the largest and most luxurious yachts on the market, typically measuring over 100 feet in length. A small superyacht may have a crew of around 20 people, while a larger one may require a crew of 50 or more.

Larger superyachts with more amenities and more guests on board will require a larger crew to ensure that all aspects of the vessel are properly maintained and operated. The team will typically include a captain, first mate, engineer, chef, stewardesses, deckhands, and other specialized roles depending on the yacht's amenities.

Some owners may prefer a smaller crew to maintain a more intimate and personalized experience, while others may opt for a larger crew to ensure that all tasks are handled efficiently and to the highest standard.

Crew size for commercial yachts

Commercial yachts are required to have a crew size that is appropriate for the size and type of the vessel, as well as the number of passengers on board. The crew size can vary greatly depending on the yacht's size, amenities, and intended use.

In general, larger yachts will have a larger crew, while smaller yachts may only require a few crew members. For example, a small yacht that is used for day trips or short-term charters may only require a captain and a mate. However, a larger yacht used for extended charters or as a luxury hotel at sea may need a larger crew.

The crew size for commercial yachts is regulated by various maritime authorities, such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). These authorities have established minimum crew requirements based on the size and type of the yacht, as well as the number of passengers on board.

Based on USCG requirements, a commercial yacht that is less than 100 gross tons and carries up to 12 passengers must have at least one licensed captain and one crew member. If the yacht carries between 13 and 36 passengers, it must have at least two licensed crew members. For yachts that are over 100 gross tons, the crew size requirements will be higher.

A captain license costs around $700 - $800 , but this may vary according to the country as well as potential extras you might need to purchase.

Crew size for luxury yachts

Luxury yachts are designed for comfort and style, typically featuring high-end amenities like spas, gourmet kitchens, and entertainment systems.

Luxury yachts require a larger crew because they are typically larger, more complex, and more luxurious than other types of boats. A larger crew is necessary to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the guests have an enjoyable and comfortable experience on board.

Here are some of the reasons why luxury yachts require a crew of 10-30 persons:

Safety: A larger crew is necessary to ensure the safety of the guests and the yacht. The crew must be trained and experienced in handling emergency situations, such as fires, medical emergencies, and adverse weather conditions.

Navigation: Luxury yachts require a skilled crew to navigate the vessel safely and efficiently. The captain and crew must be familiar with the yacht's systems, equipment, local waterways, and navigation rules.

Maintenance: Luxury yachts require constant maintenance to keep them in top condition. A larger crew is necessary to perform routine maintenance tasks, such as cleaning, painting, and repairing the yacht's systems and equipment.

Service: Luxury yachts are known for their high level of service and hospitality. A larger crew is necessary to provide guests with personalized service, including gourmet meals, housekeeping, and other amenities.

Entertainment: Luxury yachts often have a variety of entertainment options, such as water sports equipment, movie theaters, and music systems. A larger crew is necessary to operate and maintain these amenities, as well as to provide instruction and assistance to the guests.

The cost of hiring a full-time yacht crew can range from $50,000 to $200,000 per crew member per year. This includes their salary, benefits, and any other expenses associated with their employment, such as training and uniforms.

Here's a breakdown of the average annual salaries for different yacht crew positions:

The roles and responsibilities of the captain

• Responsible for the overall operation of the yacht including navigation, safety, and communication with other vessels
• Must have extensive knowledge of waterways
• Must make quick decisions in case of emergency
• Must hold valid Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) issued by USCG
• For yachts over 100 gross tons, a captain must hold a USCG license for appropriate tonnage and route
• May need to hold specific endorsements, such as a towing endorsement or a radar observer endorsement

The roles and responsibilities of the captain engineer

• Responsible for mechanical systems on board the yacht such as engines, generators, and other equipment
• Must have a good understanding of how systems work
• Troubleshoots problems that arise
• Works closely with the captain and other crew members
• May be responsible for managing inventory and ordering spare parts and supplies

The roles and responsibilities of the stewardess

The stewardess is the first point of contact for guests and they are responsible for the following:

• Greet guests warmly and show them to their cabins
• Provide information about the yacht and its amenities, as well as local attractions and activities
• Clean and maintain guests' cabins
• Make beds and ensure fresh towels and linens
• Responsible for serving meals and drinks, setting the table, and clearing dishes

The roles and responsibilities of the deckhand

The deckhand is an entry-level position on a yacht and they work under the supervision of the first mate. They are responsible for a variety of tasks such as:

• Cleaning the yacht and handling lines and fenders
• Assisting with navigation and docking
• Maintaining the exterior of the yacht, such as washing and waxing the hull, cleaning the decks and windows, and maintaining the yacht's equipment and machinery

The roles and responsibilities of the chef

• Responsible for providing exceptional culinary experiences for guests
• Plans menus, prepares meals and manages galley and kitchen area
• Plans menus that meet the dietary preferences and restrictions of guests
• Creates menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks and appetizers
• Responsible for provisioning the yacht with fresh ingredients and supplies
• Prepares high-quality meals and presents them well
• Manages galley and kitchen area, including cleaning and maintaining the kitchen, managing inventory and ordering supplies, and ensuring that all equipment is in good working order

The roles and responsibilities of the first mate

• Considered as the second in command on a yacht
• Works closely with the captain to ensure the safe operation and navigation of the boat
• Responsible for managing crew and overseeing day-to-day activities on board
• Assists captain with navigation and piloting of yacht
• Monitors weather conditions, charts courses, and ensures the yacht is on track and avoiding potential hazards
• Manages crew and delegates tasks as needed
• May be responsible for scheduling and coordinating crew shifts, managing inventory and ordering supplies, and ensuring that the yacht is clean and well-maintained
• May serve as liaison between guests and captain, ensuring that their needs are met and that they have an enjoyable experience on board

The roles and responsibilities of the second mate

• Assists captain and first mate in navigation and operation of yacht
• Maintains the yacht's navigational equipment, including GPS, radar, and other electronic devices
• Ensures all charts and publications are up-to-date and that any necessary corrections or updates are made.

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Costs of food provisions will vary dependent upon how eloborate food Preferenaces are

Location will play huge factor in food provisons and thing may have to be folws into remorte locations.

Crew is one of the largest expenses on a superyacht and critical to the owner’s enjoyment of their vessel. As the largest crew agency in the world, we know crew. Our cost calculator contains customized crew lists for yachts ranging from 80ft to 600ft with salary information based on our reference verified salary data.

Our users also have the ability to completely tailor the crew list to the specific needs, schedule and requirements of their vessel. Each yacht is unique and may have specific owner requests in addition to the yacht’s safe manning requirements.

Management of the supplemental crew costs and strategic budgeting can help avoid significant overspend on categories such as food and uniform. This tool contains default values based on our industry expertise and recommended budget for an efficiently and safely run superyacht.

To learn more about each crew position in detail, including salary ranges, please visit our yacht department directory .

Drag the sliders to modify your results. These are not linear scales and we expect most yachts to operate within the 20-80% window. Above 80% and below 20% costs increase or decrease at exaggerated levels and we only see numbers in these levels in very rare circumstances.

This sunburst diagram is interactive. You can click into each block to see the expense break down and mouse over each block for more details.

Our chart of accounts displays seven major categories, 20 sub-categories plus a further 80 detail categories for a total of 107.

Our yacht operating cost calculator is now on it’s third major revision. We start with actual yacht expense data from our yacht management accountants and then generate formulas to extrapolate out the budget for a wide range of yachts. We have been providing accounting services to large yachts for the past 18 years.

Our operating cost calculator is tuned for yachts from 80 to 600 feet. We find operating variables create the largest variances for yachts smaller than 100 feet and larger than 250 feet. We have tested the numbers the most in the range from 100 to 250 feet.

Our budget calculator factors in the fuel burn for a range of engine sizes typically seen installed on yachts by length. By dragging the green “fuel dockage” slider to the right you will increase the projected fuel burn rate and therefore the budget cost for fuel. Our default position would be for a typical displacement fuel burn. Position the slider in the 60-80% range for fuel projections for planning hulls.

Our default values produce a budget number that we believe is generous to run a yacht to a high standard. Perfect is a very expensive word to use in the yachting industry where standards are already high. Moving the crew and maintenance sliders to 80% will provide an “industry best” quality of crew and give them the maintenance budget to operate to a very high standard. If you need to go over the 80% area then you may have unusually labor intensive equipment on the yacht.

Yes, our yacht operating cost calculator can output a budget suitable for this situation. Adjust the owner use to 2 (minimum value), owner slider to 0, crew slider to 10%, Administration to 10%, Fuel and Dockage to 0, Maintenance to 10% and then Capital Repairs to 0. This will remove all of the large charges associated with owner use and vessel movement but leave the essential base maintenance and insurance in place.

Lift on and float in yacht transport is a popular way to transport yachts across large ocean passage. The yachts that this service certainly applies to are ones that may not have the motoring range or structural integrity for blue ocean cruising. The cost of transporting a yacht twice per year is put into our budget once the “Fuel Dockage” slider hits 75%. If your yacht has the range we recommend self-sufficient ocean passages whenever possible. Whilst the transport companies sell their services based upon reportedly well oiled operated schedules the reality is that your yacht may stay waiting for pickup for a week or more with no compensation due. When factoring in all secondary factors of self-sufficient passages (increased fuel, maintenance, potential storm damage, crew time off, extra delivery crew) compared with transporting your yacht (insurance, potential loading / unloading damage, loss of schedule control, no work whilst underway, crew flights, crew accommodation) we believe that there is a 100% premium associated with float in transport and a 75% premium with lift on transport compared with self-powered.

Abandoned yachts crash in value. We recommend that even if you are trying to sell your yacht that you use the yacht for a minimum of two weeks per year so that systems are tested and working every six months. There is nothing worse for a yacht than not being used. If you truly are not going to use the yacht then you should sell it immediately for the first genuine offer as every dollar you put into maintenance will not be recovered at the time of the sale.

We did not build this version with sailing yachts in mind. Early in our development of this version we decided to exclude sailing yachts as a few of the major cost drivers scale very differently for sailing yachts compared with motor yachts. For example: To calculate paint costs we reviewed the surface area of over 100 large yachts and created a formula for painted surface area to length. Sailing yachts just don’t scale in a consistent way. Similarly crew numbers don’t scale in the same manner that they do for motor yachts. If there is sufficient demand we may build a sailing selector switch into a future version of this tool.

We hate to hear when yacht owners were told by their broker to factor in 10% of the purchase price to operate the yacht. This over used saying is sadly right occasionally (particularly for newer yachts in the $20-30M range)… but just because a broken watch tells the right time twice a day you shouldn’t rely upon it to tell the time. As yachts get older their capital value decreases but their maintenance costs increase. There is no way that a fixed 10% of purchase cost rule can be true… if your broker told you this rule then you need a new yacht broker… we know some good ones. 😊

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The Best Private Yacht Charters for Small Groups

While much of the cruise industry halted operations in the last year , it didn't mean that all sailings stopped. For families or pandemic-era bubble groups who wanted a sunny getaway on the water, a trend emerged: renting out entire yachts , complete with crew, for a new kind of custom sailing.

Exploring destinations around the world on a private yacht with your kids, and maybe another family or two, is both a luxurious and practical way to travel these days. The sea turns into your personal playground, and your captain will steer you to islets and beaches away from the crowds. On board, you can spend time together in a pleasant, contained environment—plus, no one has to cook. Bring on the movies and board games!

Here are our favorite family-friendly yachts available for private charter around the world.

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Kontiki Wayra

Howler monkeys, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies are one attraction, pristine beaches another as this new 128-foot motor yacht, operated by the sustainably conscious expedition line Kontiki, explores less-touristed areas on the coast of Ecuador beginning this summer. The nine-cabin yacht carries up to 18 guests in contemporary high-style. The 10-member crew includes local guides, a chef, and wellness professionals—there's even a masseuse on board. On land, visit nature preserves and treat the kids to a private tasting of Ecuadorian chocolate.

Book now : From $152,800 per week

Halcon del Mar

Explore the coast of Turkey on this high-end, 148-foot traditional Bodrum-style gulet , with a classic mahogany interior and crew of six. The schooner sleeps up to 16 guests in eight spacious cabins. Enjoy the Jacuzzi and water toys—jet skis, water skis, snorkeling equipment, wakeboards, a canoe, paddleboards, a banana boat. Everyone can dine together at an open-air table at the stern, then watch movies in the saloon. Not-to-miss spots on the Gulf of Göcek include the protected Iztuzu Beach, where turtles nest.

Book now : $57,500 to $75,000 per week , plus food and drink

Prana by Atzaró's Batavia master suite.

Prana by Atzaró

The world’s largest Indonesian phinisi yacht explores remote islands, such as Komodo National Park (home to the famous dragons) and Raja Ampat . Made of teak, the 180-foot, Spanish-owned luxury yacht has nine cabins across four decks—plenty of room for fussy teens to have their own space. Luxuriate on daybeds, hang out on beaches, and snorkel or dive in the region’s famous coral reefs . The 20-person crew includes a cruise director, dive instructor, chefs, and masseuses. Water skis, wakeboards, and towable floats will thrill the kids.

Book now : From $15,000 to $17,500 per day , four-night minimum 

HMS Gåssten

Family groups of up to 10 will frolic under the Midnight Sun in Norway’s sparsely populated western fjords on this funky wooden boat, which started life as a Swedish Navy minesweeper. A meticulous rehab includes an oak-paneled saloon for dining, lounging, and board games. Perfect for kids, two of the five cabins have bunk beds. You can swim off the bow deck (where a gun turret once was located), as well as hike, bike, paddleboard, kayak, and fish during your stay.

Book now : From $54,204 per week  

This 78-foot yacht cruises Alaska’s tidewater , the glacier-rich Prince William Sound. Customized itineraries include Captain Jeff Gorton’s favorite spots for berry picking and hiking; watching glaciers calve; and spotting killer whales, Stellar sea lions, and frolicking otters. Get up close to the shoreline on the yacht’s kayaks and paddleboards. Three suites (one with bunk beds) accommodate six. In the spacious main salon, the private chef will prepare for dinner shrimp you caught that day.

Book now : $9,900 per night , three-night minimum

I Sea 's amenities include a floating swimming pool and a sky lounge.

Cruising the Greek Isles on this 134-foot superyacht brings luxury touches adults will appreciate, such as a master suite with private balcony on the Bridge deck. The waterslide will get the kids’ attention; it runs from the top deck to the sea. Great amenities include a floating swimming pool, banana boat, and snorkeling and diving equipment for two. Onboard are a Jacuzzi and a main salon for watching movies on TVs, plus a sky lounge. A crew of six caters to up to 10 guests in five cabins.

Book now : $156,000 to $178,000 per week

Metsuyan IV

A 3D outdoor cinema and 13-foot diving board for jumping into the sea are among the cool features on this sleek, 10-guest, five-cabin superyacht, available for cruising Croatia and Montenegro—including stops at gorgeous white-sand beaches. Onboard are a spa pool and a crow’s nest where kids may play pirate when not competing on the PlayStation 3, or using a provided easel and art supplies. Parents of younger kids will like the two forward staterooms with a connecting door.

Book now : $118,00 to $138,000 per week

Moorings 5000

This contemporary catamaran can be crew-chartered, with captain and chef, for up to eight guests in St. Thomas, for cruising the U.S. Virgin Islands. Visit popular Trunk Bay, then snorkel with sea turtles in Christmas Cove and look for dolphins in Leinster Bay. Toys include water skis, kneeboards, and a draggable inflatable tube. Hang out on beanbags or on the “trampoline” between the catamaran’s two hulls. Indoors, a TV/DVD player is set for movie nights in the expansive saloon.

Book now : From $21,479 per week

This is part of a series on rethinking private travel , which explores how the pandemic has changed our approach to private travel and made it more accessible to all.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Best family yacht: our pick of the best yachts for sailing with the family

• Toby Hodges
• March 7, 2024

Toby Hodges takes a look at all the nominees and the winner of the best family yacht category in the European Yacht of the Year Awards

There are many categories in the European Yacht of the Year awards, from the  best luxury yachts  to  performance yachts . But some of the most hotly-anticipated options come when it is time to choose the nominees and winner in the best family yacht category.

The European Yacht of the Year awards are selected by a broad panel of expert judges from across the globe. These are people who spend their professional lives sailing and comparing yachts, so you can be certain that the yachts which stand out in this field are truly the best of the best on the market for those looking to set out with the whole family in tow.

A crop of the latest 35-45ft mainstream production yachts, including the ultra spacious Dufour 41 and the smaller sister to the award-winning Hanse 460, plus a couple of less well known yachts, made for a dynamic grouping this year when it comes to picking the best family yachts 2024.

In this, the most competitive size bracket for volume production yachts, there was plenty to like, but two models stood out: the RM and the Bavaria. The former because it’s different and fills an interesting niche that crosses fast cruising with family sailing, from coastal and shoal draught to bluewater sailing ability; the Bavaria because it masters that mix of deck and interior space, performance and handling in a well finished package.

Winner of the best family yacht 2024 – Bavaria C46

The Bavaria and Cossutti Yacht Design relationship continues to flourish and produce standout results in its second generation. The C46’s modern, full shape brings vast deck and accommodation space yet manages to do so on a hull which really performs for its size, and rewards the helmsman with direct feedback.

During my trial we had a good mix of conditions and were able to push the boat, a voluminous hull which becomes reactive once the breeze threatens double figures. We were able to press it during a rain squall, hitting 12 knots in 18 under gennaker, and maintained lengthy double digit spells during some enjoyable sporty sailing. Bear in mind this is a single-rudder boat, yet it still didn’t overpower or lose its grip. It’s impressive, especially given the exceptionally low ballast ratio (20%), which shows the reliance on form stability.

“The chine is a bit higher than the C42 and we tried to make the wetted surface as small as possible,” Maurizio Cossutti told me during our trial. The keel is also comparatively lighter, slimmer and deeper for a sporty feel. It’s clear the German yard has really poured its engineering energy and might into this build – from design to engineering to finish quality, the perceived richness of the C46 stands out (although dressed with over €200,000 of options, this is still no mean feat in a mass production size and brand). So much so that other big yards may struggle to compete.

You could argue the Dufour 41 does that to some extent, but here the emphasis is slightly more skewed towards volume, while it doesn’t quite match the Bavaria for the overall engineering and finish quality. Felci somehow managed to swell the forward sections enough to allow the Dufour to be the first 40-footer to offer four cabins, including two doubles forward. We then learned in September that Dufour had signed a new contract to supply Sunsail charter yachts, which helps explain the draw of all this extra accommodation space.

The price for this is extra weight. Although equipped with a tall rig, the 41 only becomes reactive once the breeze is up to the mid teens, where it can lean onto a chine and employ its generous form stability. But for those after volume, max deck lounging space and a bright spacious interior for multiple guests, it’s a hard model to compete with at this size (full report in YW September 2023 and online).

On paper the Hanse 410 should perhaps have challenged the Bavaria more. It’s the latest in Hanse’s new collaboration with Berret-Racoupeau, follows on from the larger sister 460 which won this category in 2022, and shares that appealing modern hull shape. It showed respectable performance and figures, and proved easy to manage short-handed, thanks to the self-tacking jib and winches positioned to hand.

A halyard issue with the mainsail and a tangled sock for the kite curtailed my sail trials somewhat. We also found the cockpit quite busy, particularly the winch layout, although it is nice and deep for protecting its crew. It makes you query why you need two tables on a 40-footer – until you see them lowered to create sun beds, that is!

Stand out features from the interior were the number of stowage solutions, particularly on the two-cabin test boat. Offered as two or three cabins with one or two heads, the former provides a huge amount of stowage accessible from the cockpit or interior. There’s more in the galley and a multifunction space in the saloon, which can be a full length sofa berth, a proper chart table, or a standing desk with storage below.

Beneteau Oceanis 37.1

The Beneteau Oceanis 37.1 is also all about easy sailing and handling, and proved to be a fun, manageable sized cruiser, particularly the First Line option we tried, which increases sail area with a square-top main and flat deck furler. While certainly an accessible yacht, it perhaps comes across as a little basic. This is the last Oceanis in the new generation eight-boat range between 30ft and 60ft, so the focus is more on evolution than the revolution of its early predecessors. Hence the two- or three-cabin interior seemed a little unremarkable when viewed against the opposition.

The same could not be said for the RM 1380, particularly when you step down the companionway – which doesn’t really feel like going below decks on a conventional monohull as it’s so naturally bright in the raised saloon and helps you appreciate your surroundings. So much so it’s more like being on a multihull. The doorways are a little tight, but the double cabins are of good size thanks in part to the generous beam. The standard two-cabin layout has a practical utility space in place of the optional third cabin.

I’ve long appreciated the plywood epoxy technique RM uses for its hulls, together with the powerful form stability Lombard’s design brings. This comes with the choice of keels, including the shoal draught options of a lifting centreboard or efficient twin keels. We tried the latter and the result on the water is in keeping with the sporty looks: it’s an enjoyable mid-displacement cruiser to sail from the aft quarters. Then there’s the superb winch layout, which sees the primaries positioned inboard for use standing under the protection of the coachoof and sprayhood. For offshore sailing the open transom can be closed off with a platform. It’s not perfect, but the RM is intriguing and versatile.

Elan Impression 43

Another memorable interior is to be found on the Elan Impression 43. The rustic knotted oak finish is unique, the only option Elan offers and something the Slovenian yard wanted style gurus Pininfarina to maintain to identify it from the sportier ranges. Personally, I like the strong focus on timber as it helps showcase Elan’s heritage, but appreciate it won’t suit all tastes.

These mid size Impressions are the mainstay of Elan’s sailing range, the family and charter staples for the Med. This Humphreys-designed update has a modernised shape, but retains the older style and the hull rocker to keep a soft, smooth sailing experience. It’s rigged with a genoa or self tacker and two to four winches. Although somewhat unremarkable in terms of sailing performance, it fits its purpose, while the increased aft beam allows for larger aft cabins and a service tunnel between them.

In an age where we need to focus on making things last, my preconceptions of the Maxus 35 revolved around questioning the need for a lower budget Polish build. Why not just buy a proven second-hand yacht? That said, the Northman shipyard has done a respectable job on this, the largest Maxus yet, in terms of the build and finish for the price. It feels solid throughout, the interior is light and inviting and it is worth consideration as an entry level yacht with reasonable accommodation.

I can also see some appeal of the centreboard design for lake sailing. However there was little to take home with regards to the design or sailing experience, so my conclusions mirror my first thoughts.Best family yacht 2023

Best family yacht 2023

Best family yacht winner – linjett 39.

This is quite possibly the best boat you haven’t heard of. The 39 offers easy, fast family cruising and occasional racing in luxurious comfort and proves that classic needn’t be old fashioned.

Linjett exudes Scandi heritage: a third generation 50-year-old brand, it’s run by three brothers and has built 900 yachts from its Rosättra yard in Sweden, which dates from to the 19th Century. Its business model is based on long production runs – think evergreen rather than trendy. Linjett not only designs, engineers and builds its own boats, but services and maintains them too, with 220 in winter storage. It also now produces the high performance Shogun Yachts in carbon epoxy, which hints at the skill levels of its infusion techniques.

A telling result at sea is how quiet the yacht is. Sturdy and stable, it instils instant confidence and proved a delight to sail. We had some very pleasant upwind beats, pointing high, and some lively reaching, hitting double figures a few times while pushing it under 150m2 gennaker in waves. The Linjett is set up to easily short-hand it too, with two winches and a bank of clutches each side positioned aft in reach of the helm.

The interior is offered with two or three cabins and the latter we saw had an excellent layout, including separate shower/wet hanging compartment aft. Joiner work is first class, with traditional mahogany used as standard, or the more contemporary European Oak on the test boat.

This is a premium yacht, but you get what you pay for. It will surprise most and ensure everyone steps ashore smiling. See our full review next month.

The Dufour 37 may be shorter than the old 360, but Dufour was reluctant to brand this 37 as smaller because its modern, broadened hull shape has resulted in an enlarged deck space, cockpit and owner’s cabin. Felci has designed a clever hull that sails well with good performance for its (34ft) size. The aft quarters behind the helms feel compact to maximise cockpit size, but proved comfortable enough to sail from. The primaries are in reach of the helm and we liked the lightweight, low friction jib sheet adjusters.

The 37 is offered in Easy (two winch), Ocean (cruising), or Performance versions and with a two- or three- cabin layout. The test boat was the most popular Ocean model, although it had €100,000 worth of optional extras including sails, engine and bow thruster, resulting in an expensive yacht for its length.

For those who recognise the Bente name, we previously featured it in detail in 2015 when it burst onto the scene with an innovative and affordable new 24-footer (around 150 of which have been built in Poland). We then tested its 39 in 2019, a year before the yard then filed for bankruptcy. But it’s now back under new ownership with this really impressive and more refined Bente 28, again by Judel/Vrolijk.

It’s a fun yacht to sail, easy to short-hand, with sprightly performance, especially when reaching. The coachroof is part of the deck structure and proves crucial in providing light, space and headroom below in an ergonomic interior that has been very well thought out.

All in all it’s a great compact, entry-level cruiser, with a practical, well protected cockpit.

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A beautifully proportioned 60 foot, luxury liveaboard bluewater cruiser, offering effortless shorthanded sailing capability

The Oyster 595. The perfect all-round adventurer.

Well-proportioned, with generous living and entertaining spaces and excellent sailing capabilities to meet any cruising requirement.

Performance cruising

Increased hull volume and longer waterline provide excellent all-round performance, fun and comfort, and the ability to maintain smooth, fast passage-making speeds.

Magnificently spacious

The extremely large volume below decks offers safe, luxurious living and entertaining space for up to eight family, friends or crew.

Adaptable configuration

Available in standard or shallow-draft keel, with an optional extended transom and various interior layout options, the 595 offers extensive choices to suit any cruising lifestyle.

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Join us at the Cannes Yachting Festival, 10-15 September 2024, in the heart of the French Riviera to see the Oyster 595

Iconic Oyster styling, remarkable hull volume and our trademark deck saloon are just some of the outstanding features of this ocean cruiser for sale.

Better by design

The next-generation oyster 595 sets the standard for future true bluewater cruisers with her outstanding ocean-going capabilities and liveaboard qualities..

She displays all the hallmarks of an Oyster, from the impressive volume of the Humphreys-designed hull with twin rudders and wide, clutter-free flush teak decks, excellent stowage, a choice of entertaining spaces and the optional bathing platform.

Available in two keel formats, standard or with a shallow-draft centreboard keel, which is ideal for those wanting to explore shallow coves and cruising grounds. For sailing bluewater adventures, the extended transom variant provides additional stowage and a truly vast lazarette.

The ergonomically designed cockpit features twin helm stations, alfresco dining for eight and a sprayhood on the deck saloon to keep guests protected from the weather, whatever the conditions. Safe and easy to move around under sail, she is fun to sail and a joy to relax on while anchored in secluded bays.

The Oyster 595 is designed to perform day in, and day out in all sea conditions, to deliver safe, comfortable and enjoyable sailing experiences.

Equipped with the latest and most reliable sailing equipment, she is a pleasure to sail shorthanded. Her silky smooth, soft motion, even in a head sea, delivers consistently fast passage-making at only a modest angle of heel, making light work of ocean crossings.

Unlike other ocean cruisers for sale, push-button in-mast furling, electric mainsail and genoa winches come as standard and she offers responsive finger-tip control on the helm, thanks to the twin rudder design. The helm stations feature all the technology required for relaxed operation and navigation, with the winches within easy reach. There is a large sail locker on the foredeck to store your sails, spinnaker and Code Zero, and the long waterline, excellent stability and wide beam aft harness the significant sail power, no matter what sail wardrobe you choose.

The word ‘quality’ never quite captures the meticulous finish of our yachts. Our constant endeavour for excellence brings together our master craftspeople with advanced materials, production techniques and the latest engineering technology.

This is reflected in a hull design that epitomises the standards Oyster believes all bluewater cruising yachts should meet – an uncompromising strength of construction. Built to rigorous Lloyd’s Register certification, we demand only the very best materials. From the drawing board, we overspecify the hull superstructure by four times the strength when compared to the competition, with a strong, longitudinal construction and additional materials around the keel structure and slam zones. For added peace of mind, Lloyd's surveyors also sign off each hull and deck as part of the build process, reflecting our uncompromising approach to quality control. 

We don't accept anything less than perfection in terms of fit, finish and engineering integrity, that's why the Oyster 595 has outstanding quality and character.

Contemporary, luxurious styling and volume below decks make for the perfect living space for any adventure.

Inspired living space

The oyster 595’s contemporary interior is refined and luxurious. the saloon, the social heart of this boat, offers a wealth of space and convenience for crew and guests..

The open longitudinal galley, navigation station and saloon are light, bright and airy thanks to the seascape and wrap-around saloon windows – forward units are opening, providing excellent natural ventilation at anchor. Every detail, practicality and seamanlike feature on this bluewater cruiser has been considered, from the optional convertible saloon table, which doubles as a day bed, the pop-up TV addition, galley fiddles for bracing when heeled, through to the extensive range of galley appliances. There is deep, comfortable seating for relaxing, with space for six at the saloon table, along with lots of stowage, essential for any bluewater adventure. Combine this with the handcrafted fit-out to a standard rarely found on a 60 foot sailboat, blended seamlessly with practicality and seaworthiness, the Oyster 595 makes living aboard for extended periods a truly pleasurable experience.

With the welcome hull volume, choice of hardwoods, exquisite fabrics and materials, the Oyster 595 offers versatile configuration options and many opportunities for personalisation.

Building on ideas and innovations from our fleet, the 595 offers a comprehensive range of accommodation options. There are three well-appointed layouts to choose from – an aft ensuite master cabin with three guest cabins, one amidships and two guest cabins forward, creating privacy and comfort for up to eight family or crew in any configuration. The aft ensuite master option provides private access to a spacious cabin featuring Oyster’s signature seascape windows, which flood the space with natural light. There is also a sofa, optional television and ample stowage.

Throughout the cabins, Oyster’s attention to detail reveals itself in everything, from the beautiful handcrafted cabinetry to the deep mattresses, island berths, optional full-length mirrors and cedar-lined wardrobes. Not forgetting the walk-in showers and mood lighting for any occasion.

The latest, new-generation technology adds another dimension to the capability of the Oyster 595, whether you plan to relax or work aboard her.

Technology and tradition come together in complete harmony on the 595, making her well-connected with seamlessly integrated navigation, entertainment and onboard systems. Oyster Command™, Oyster’s intuitive CZone-managed digital switching system, connects everything from the entertainment, utilities and lighting, to monitoring the latest black box technology, which provides real-time status and control of onboard systems through the Oyster owners App.

Specify your favourite AV systems, satellite connectivity and WiFi technology to keep connected and able to work aboard in the world’s remotest corners. All technology and systems are specified for robustness and reliability and nothing is installed that has not been proven at sea.

The joy of Oyster ownership

There is more than just pride on offer when it comes to owning an Oyster 595. Every new Oyster comes with a comprehensive warranty, personalised care, access to our global service network, unrivalled support, life-changing experiences and so much more.

On an Oyster the world is yours.

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Specification and features

Lloyd’s Register certified hull and deck moulding

Peace of mind is built into this bluewater cruiser with Lloyd’s Register certification of the hull and deck moulding and also complies with EU RCDII.

Hydraulic in-mast (IMF) and headsail furling

In-mast furling (IMF) for the mainsails and Seldén Furlex hydraulic headsail furling gear are fitted as standard. Hydraulic-powered, push-button controls are on hand for both systems on both helm pedestals, close to the primary winches, for complete control and ease of use.

Handbuilt oak & walnut interior

The standard joinery throughout is oak with a satin finish varnish. Cabin soles feature random plank, crown-cut walnut veneered boards, with rubber seals to minimise movement and squeaking.

Retractable hydraulic bow & stern thrusters

Slide into the tightest berths and manoeuvre in busy marinas with the powerful Sleipner retractable bow and stern thrusters.

An Onan 11kw 4-cylinder diesel generator is almost silent in operation thanks to its sound shield and anti-vibration mounts. Power for all your 240v equipment and charge your batteries efficiently.

Seascape windows

The 595 saloon and owner’s cabin feel light and airy thanks to the four sets of signature Seascape windows that create a powerful connection between the interior and the ocean outside.

Powerful 150HP engine  

The Oyster 595 features the powerful 150hp (110kW) Yanmar 4VL. Motor or motor sail with the throttle backed-off and you can consume the miles at speed with excellent fuel efficiency. This engine has been chosen for its quietness, power at low revs and it’s compliance with worldwide emissions levels. But more importantly, in Yanmar, you have an unrivalled global support-and-service network to help you maintain your engine in peak condition.

Interior layout configuration

The large volume of the Oyster 595 hull makes for a versatile space. There are two configurations to choose from – an aft master cabin and ensuite with two double ensuites forward and one bunk amidships; or two doubles forward sharing one head, with a workspace or bunk amidships. See interior plans for more details.

Wood options

Beautiful solid wood is a hallmark of Oyster 595 interiors. Choose from a range of wood options including walnut, maple and cherry.

Keel options

Oyster 595 centreboard variant – if you love cruising shallow coastal waters, you can upgrade from the standard lead-bulb fin keel to a shallow draft centreboard option with a minimum draft of 179cm/5’10”.

Bathing platform

Upgrade the standard open-stepped transom with an impressive hydraulic-operated bathing platform, providing easy access for swimming and hopping in and out of the tender.

Extended transom

The extended transom option offers more space on the aft deck along with acres of space in the lazarette below.

Hull colours

Tailor the look of your yacht with hull, mast and boom in your favourite colours with complementing sail cloths. Vinyl wrap and paint options let your imagination run wild. Try some different options with our colour picker.

Hydraulic passerelle

The 1.9m letter box retractable hydraulic passerelle extended from the transom lets you board and disembark in style.

Autumn 2026

Plans and interior layouts.

Colour inspiration

595 CENTREBOARD

Explore shallow cruising grounds and secluded anchorages aboard the shallow-draft 595 centreboard variant, the 595CB.

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Expert insights and independent reviews on the Oyster 595

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Best Sailboats For Families

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 28, 2023

Sailing has always been a family activity and a great way for families to bond. But what sailboats are best (and safest) for the whole family?

Family sailboats are spacious, easy to sail, heel gently, and safe in rough weather. The best production family sailboats are the Catalina 22, the Catalina 30, the Lagoon 470 catamaran, and the Beneteau 49.

In this article, we’ll cover in-depth four of the best sailboats for family cruising. We’ll go over what to look for when choosing a family sailboat, along with what to avoid. Additionally, we’ll compare single and multihull designs and cover the benefits and drawbacks of each.

We sourced the information in this article from the sailing community and specifically sailing families who’ve embarked on extended voyages.

Table of contents

‍ Family Sailboat Sailing Characteristics

Beyond obvious considerations (such as size and accommodations), what is the most important aspect of a family sailboat? It’s sailing characteristics—and this is especially true for monohulls. Sailing characteristics play a large part in the safety of the vessel and also the comfort of its less experienced crew.

There are several factors that contribute to sailing characteristics and a family-friendly boat. First and foremost, a boat’s heeling tendencies should be taken into consideration. Boxier modern boats tend to heel (lean over under sail) much less dramatically than older, more rounded designs. This is also true for wider boats, which are more stable.

Heeling is natural under sail, but it can be alarming to kids and inexperienced sailors. Additionally, it makes it much more difficult to cook or move around the boat safely—especially out on the deck but also in the cabin. A boat with milder handling is much better suited to families.

Another factor to consider is seakeeping. A comfortable boat is one that doesn’t pound excessively and takes waves gracefully—and this is not always the case. Some sailboats (particularly narrow and flat-bottomed versions) are notorious for being dreadfully uncomfortable in rough weather.

Larger, wider, and more rounded hulls handle waves much better than flat-bottom boats, though other factors also contribute to seakeeping abilities. The best family boats are a bit sluggish due to their increased displacement but far more comfortable when the weather gets rough.

Family Sailboat Size

What’s the ideal size for a family sailboat? Well, the answer clearly depends on the size of your family—however, we can start with a simple rule that a family sailboat should be able to accommodate at least four people comfortably.

Four people should be able to be in the same place at the same time—for example, in the cockpit or in a common area in the cabin. Some sailboats may accommodate six or more people in the cockpit, but only two or four around the dining table—which is not the ideal arrangement for a family.

The average size of a family sailboat is between 30 and 40 feet. This applies to both monohull and multihull sailboats. Sailboats of this size generally have standing headroom and enough sleeping spaces for the whole family. Additionally, virtually all sailboats of the size have a shower and toilet, and sometimes two.

Monohull Vs Multihull Family Sailboats

Monohull sailboats are vessels with a single hull. Monohulls are probably what you think of when you picture a typical sailboat. Multihull sailboats have multiple hulls, and the most common types are two-hull catamarans and three-hull trimarans.

Monohull sailboats are significantly less expensive than multihull sailboats. This makes them the most common choice for families who are more budget-sensitive when it comes to recreational equipment.

But when it comes to handling and cabin comfort, the multihull has several distinct advantages over the monohull. These sailboats distribute the force of the wind between multiple hulls and a wide stance, which makes them extremely safe and stable.

Additionally, virtually all cruising catamarans and trimarans have extensive center cabin space and several private stateroom areas in the hull. This allows families to give each person adequate space on long voyages. Many cruising families opt for a multihull, as the additional space is paramount to long-term comfort.

Best Family Sailboat Models

Hundreds of sailboat designs have been sold over the years, and a few stand out as spectacular family coastal cruising and long-distance sailboats. This list will include an example of each common family sailboat type, and we’ll specify the best uses for each vessel. Here are four of the best and safest family sailboats on the market today.

1. Catalina 22 Trailer Sailboat

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The Catalina 22 is one of the most popular sailboats of all time. It was introduced in the 1960s as a family sailboat for lakes and coastal waters, and it was produced in many variations over the years. Thousands of Catalina 22 sailboats are still on the market today, which serves as a testament to their robust design and timeless utility.

Most Catalina 22 sailboats are trailerable, which means you don’t need to rent a permanent slip to store it. The vessel is 22 feet in length and can be towed by a reasonably sized SUV or standard pickup truck. It’s constructed with marine fiberglass, which is low maintenance and extremely durable.

The Catalina 22 is not designed for extended cruising. Instead, it’s a day boat with a reasonably sized cabin for short overnight trips. It is a perfect alternative to camping, and there’s usually enough space to sleep four.

All things considered, the cabin space aboard a Catalina 22 is generous. Some versions of the boat came with a pop-up companionway hatch, which turned sitting headroom into standing headroom towards the aft end of the cabin. This is exceedingly rare on small trailer sailers, and it’s a big perk of having a Catalina 22.

The Catalina 22 is the perfect starter boat for a family. It’s heavy and stable and offers excellent sailing characteristics (even in higher winds). Additionally, it’s easy to rig and small enough to be handled by one or two people. Kids can learn the basics of sailing and get experience piloting a “big” boat—at least when compared to a dinghy or a Sunfish.

The Catalina 22 can be found on the used market for between $5,000 and $15,000. Outliers exist, and you may be lucky enough to find a Catalina 22 in operable condition for less than $3000–trailer included.

2. Catalina 30 Cruising Sailboat

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Catalina makes the list again with its extremely popular 30-foot sailboat. The Catalina 30 is a fiberglass sloop that was introduced around the same time as the Catalina 22. Unlike the Catalina 22, the Catalina 30 is more than capable of open ocean sailing—but it’s also easy to handle on short trips in coastal waters.

Catalina 30 sailboats have a wide beam which makes them stable under heavy sail and in rough water. They also have a high freeboard, which keeps the cockpit relatively dry and prevents excessive spray over the bow. These characteristics also minimize heeling, which makes it a comfortable boat for inexperienced sailors.

The cabin is another huge selling point of the Catalina 30. These vessels have standing headroom throughout, along with enough sleeping space for six adults or more. Additionally, the Catalina 30 features a full kitchen (or galley) along with a sitting area and table that’s large enough for the entire family to sit down for dinner.

This vessel is more complex than the Catalina 22. However, anybody who can handle a Bermuda-rigged sailboat that’s larger than 20 feet can easily transition to a Catalina 30. Like the 22-foot model, this sailboat was produced in great numbers during the 20th century, and hundreds are available on the used market in excellent condition.

The Catalina 30 is ideal for a family who wants to take an occasional bluewater voyage. A trip between Florida and the Bahamas is well within the capabilities of the sailboat, and more adventurous sailors frequently sail it between San Francisco and Hawaii.

It’s also a great day boat for coast cruising, as it absorbs bad weather better than smaller boats and handles surprisingly well in low winds.

3. Lagoon 470 Cruising Catamaran

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Do you have a large family, or do you place a premium on space and comfort for long-distance sailing? If so, the Lagoon 470 could be your best option. It’s a large, 47-foot cruising catamaran that offers better speed and stability than any similarly-sized monohull.

The Lagoon 470 is a typical catamaran in many respects—it has a large center cockpit area that’s covered and features communal spaces such as the galley and a large sitting area. This space alone is wider than most monohull cabins and offers the family a great place to hang out.

Below decks in the hulls, the Lagoon 470 has several separate bedrooms and private bathroom/shower combinations. This gives family members their own space and reduces the risk of conflict when it comes to showering and sleeping.

Catamarans like the Lagoon 470 have many advantages but also a few drawbacks. This vessel is more difficult to operate in tight spaces and requires more docking space than a traditional monohull. That said, if you can manage the additional stress during docking, you’ll enjoy a much safer and more pleasant time on the water.

Due to its spectacular sailing characteristics and large size, the Lagoon 470 is best suited for long-haul sailing or full-time living. It’s definitely not a day boat—and its high price makes it an unreasonable choice of occasional sailing.

If you want to travel the world with your family, this is the boat for you. If you’re cruising around the bay on the weekends, you may want to consider something like the Catalina 30.

4. Beneteau 49 Bluewater Monohull Sailboat

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Here’s an exceptional monohull that stacks up with the best multihulls in terms of space, comfort, and seaworthiness. The Beneteau 49 is nearly 50 feet long and provides accommodations fit for the largest families.

The Beneteau 49 is the quintessential cruising sailboat. It’s wide, fast, and agile—and it has handling characteristics that put it in line with the hardiest recreational sailboats. Plus, the cabin is modern and spacious and includes everything you need to spend weeks (or months) aboard comfortably.

Separate enclosed sleeping areas give each family member privacy, and a sense of ownership over their space—which many families affirm is key when living in tight quarters. Plus, it’s a recent Beneteau design, which means it comes equipped with the latest technology and amenities.

Many of the more difficult aspects of rigging and sailboat control are automated on the Beneteau 49, meaning you can control them from the cockpit without sending anyone out on deck. This keeps the family safe and comfortable in foul weather and reduces the grunt work associated with sailing.

And when it comes to safety, it’s hard to beat a big hardy monohull like the Beneteau 49. This vessel has a wide stance and a semi-flush deck, meaning it’s well-balanced and designed to take on the toughest weather conditions. Additionally, its extended length increases hull speed, reducing the time it takes to get between stops.

As far as price is concerned, you’ll probably pay about the same for a Beneteau 49 as you would for a mid-ranged multihull. This can easily enter the $100,000+ price point, which is steep—but worth it if you and your family intend to live aboard and do extended cruising.

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Body of final missing person recovered from sunken superyacht off Sicily

Rescuers have recovered the body of the final missing person from a sunken superyacht off the Italian coast of Sicily, according to The Associated Press.

The yacht went down rapidly Monday during a storm, and six people had initially been unaccounted for, prompting dayslong searches.

While officials had only said the final missing person was female, it is being reported that the body recovered Friday was that of 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, the daughter of British tech mogul Mike Lynch.

Mike Lynch — who was recently acquitted of fraud in the U.S. — was confirmed dead on Thursday upon the discovery of his body. Four other bodies were recovered Wednesday.

Mike Lynch had been celebrating his acquittal aboard the yacht with family and his legal team when civil protection officials believe it was struck by a tornado over the water — known as a waterspout — and sank quickly, according to AP.

While the identities of the bodies have not been confirmed, among the missing were Mike Lynch's lawyer Chris Morvillo, who represented him in the fraud trial, and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo. Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of the Morgan Stanley International bank and insurance company Hiscox was also missing, alongside his wife Judy Bloomer. Jonathan Bloomer recently served as a defense witness in Lynch's fraud case.

RELATED STORY | British tech giant Mike Lynch among 5 bodies recovered from sunken superyacht off Sicily

There were a total of 22 people aboard the 56-meter British-flagged yacht, called The Bayesian, when it plummeted underwater Monday. Fifteen people managed to escape on a lifeboat and were then rescued by a nearby sailboat.

Among the survivors was Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares.

The yacht's chef, Ricardo Thomas, was found dead on Monday. In addition to the six bodies recovered over the past few days, a total of seven people died in the incident.

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation branch is launching an investigation into the watercraft's sinking.

Additional investigations are expected.

RELATED STORY |  Yacht that sank off Sicily was carrying people celebrating tech magnate's acquittal; 6 missing

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Five bodies found inside wreck of luxury yacht that sank off coast of Sicily

The bayesian sank off the coast of porticello as the area was hit by a storm.

• 22:27, 21 AUG 2024

Five bodies have been found inside the wreck of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily, with one person still missing, officials have revealed.

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, told the PA news agency that searches will resume on Thursday morning (August 22).

He confirmed that of the five bodies found, only four had been recovered, and the whereabouts of the missing sixth person remains unknown.

READ MORE Met Office verdict on how long 'autumnal' weather will last as Bank Holiday weekend approaches

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people unaccounted for after the yacht, named Bayesian, sank at around 5am on Monday.

Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.

Body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon, with the process of bringing the fifth body to shore being described as 'ongoing'. He said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing.

As the body bags were taken back to the port, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one bag was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

The missing also included Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda. Inspections of the yacht’s internal hull took place on Wednesday morning.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

A helicopter was drafted in to help the search effort as divers from the local fire service entered the water with torches attached to their headgear. A police boat and divers also entered the water on Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews said they had been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles have been used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the coastguard said.

The Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at about 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm. Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian coastguard, previously said the missing tourists were feared dead.

The wreckage of the Bayesian is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres (164ft).

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15 – including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat. Survivors have been recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello, where authorities were gathering witness statements.

• Most Recent

Investigators say 5 bodies were found in the same cabin of Mike Lynch's superyacht as prosecutors begin looking into 'crime hypothesis'

• Investigators say five bodies were found in the same cabin of Mike Lynch's superyacht.
• The "Bayesian" sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on August 19.
• Seven people have been confirmed to have died in the incident.

Investigators have said that the bodies of five people who died after British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily were discovered in the same cabin.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, Bentivoglio Fiandra from the local fire rescue service said : "The yacht tended to the right and obviously the bodies tried to go to the other side and take refuge in their cabins."

"We found five bodies in a cabin on the left and another one in the third cabin on the left. They were in the higher part of the shipwreck," he added, per The Telegraph.

Prosecutors say they have opened a manslaughter investigation following the sinking.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese, said he was investigating a "crime hypothesis" of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter.

The Bayesian, an 184-foot superyacht, sank on August 19 off the coast of Porticello, Sicily.

Related stories

Mike Lynch, the founder of Autonomy, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people confirmed to have died in the incident.

Lynch was on the yacht with friends and family celebrating his recent acquittal in a fraud trial.

He had won the 12-year legal battle over his tech company in June.

Stephen Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Autonomy who was also a defendant in the fraud trial, died in a separate incident just days before the Bayesian sank.

Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy, also died after the yacht went down.

A second couple, Christopher and Neda Morvillo, also died in the sinking. Christopher Morvillo was a partner at Clifford Chance and was Lynch's lawyer.

A chef on the yacht, Recaldo Thomas, was the only crewmember to have died in the incident.

• Main content

Five superyacht victims found in same cabin ‘trying to escape’

T he bodies of five passengers who died on the superyacht Bayesian were found in one cabin where they had gathered in an apparent attempt to escape or seek pockets of air, investigators say.

The five included Mike Lynch, the multimillionaire tech entrepreneur . The body of his daughter, Hannah, 18 , was found in another cabin.

The passengers appear to have sought refuge on the port (left) side of the boat, where the last air pockets remained as the vessel tipped over on its starboard side and started sinking.

Specialist divers from the Italian coast guard and fire service found five bodies in the first cabin on the left and Ms Lynch’s body in the third cabin on the left.

At a press conference on Saturday in the town of Termini Imerese, about 15 miles from where the yacht sank, prosecutors confirmed that they were investigating charges of multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck against “unidentified persons”.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor in the case, said the charges have not yet been levelled at anybody specifically. The investigation is in its very early stages, he added.

The captain of the yacht, New Zealander James Cutfield, was questioned for two hours by investigators earlier this week.

The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Monday when the Bayesian was hit by an intense storm while it was moored about half a mile off the small town of Porticello, Sicily.

Prosecutors said it was not a tornado but a downburst – a weather phenomenon in which powerful winds descend from a thunderstorm and spread out once they hit sea or land. They can cause damage equivalent to a tornado.

Questions are being asked as to why six passengers died while all but one of the crew – the boat’s chef – managed to escape the sinking ship and survive.

Investigators want to establish whether the captain and crew tried to raise the alarm and evacuate the sleeping passengers from their cabins.

Data from the ship’s Automatic Identification System reportedly shows there was a 16-minute period between the storm hitting the 184ft Bayesian at 3.50am on Monday and the vessel sinking at 4.06am.

Raffaele Cammarano, one of two prosecutors leading the case, said: “There can be no certainty about the behaviour of the passengers on board, at the moment. 

“It is probable they tried to escape but we have no real details about that, that will emerge in the course of the inquiry.”

He said the passengers “were asleep below deck and the others weren’t”.

Asked if Mr Lynch and his guests were warned of the approaching storm, he said: “That’s precisely what we’re trying to ascertain from the statements made by the survivors.”

Nearby yacht was left unscathed

Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, a senior officer from the fire service, said that when the boat sank, it came to rest on its starboard side: “The yacht tended to the right and obviously the [people] tried to go to the other side and take refuge in their cabins. 

“We found five bodies in a cabin on the left and another one in the third cabin on the left. They were in the higher part of the shipwreck.”

Investigators said the storm which hit the Bayesian at around 4am on Monday was “an extreme event” that happened “really, really suddenly”.

Questions are also being asked about how the storm sank the Bayesian but left another yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, unscathed, even though it was only 200 yards away.

Its crew came to the rescue of the survivors from the Bayesian, who managed to escape in a liferaft.

The four people whose bodies were found in the cabin with Mr Lynch were Jonathan Bloomer , the chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank, and his wife Judy, and Chris Morvillo, a partner in Clifford Chance, the legal firm that successfully defended Mr Lynch in his fraud trial, and his wife Neda.

Hannah Lynch’s body was the last to be recovered from the sunken yacht and was brought ashore on Friday. Her mother, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors.

The seventh victim was Recaldo Thomas, the Canadian boat chef, whose body was recovered at the scene on Monday.

In response to a question from The Telegraph at the prosecutors’ press conference, Mr Cartosio said there was no legal obligation for the skipper and crew, who are staying in a four-star hotel on the coast a few miles from where the boat went down, to remain in Sicily. 

He said he expects them to stay and to show “maximum cooperation” with the investigation. He added that they had so far been “very cooperative” and he may want to question them again.

The investigators were asked if there was any evidence that any of the yacht’s hatches were open when the storm hit.

Mr Cammarano said: “This kind of evidence is going to be fundamental to the inquiry so it is extremely difficult or impossible for us to reply at this stage, we are still trying to establish the facts.”

Weather forecasts for the area had not suggested such an extreme event, said Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, of the Italian coast guard. 

“This was an abnormal meteorological condition,” he said. “And as you can see from the internet,  there was forecasts from midnight to 4am, winds of a strength of five from the north-west and the west and a storm alert. But there wasn’t an alert of a tornado.”

Mr Cartosio was asked how such a large, sophisticated yacht could have sunk in a few minutes. He said that was one of the key questions that investigators will be pursuing.

Divers have yet to find the yacht’s black box, because of the difficulty in searching the damaged vessel , which is lying 165ft beneath the surface.

Prosecutors refused to reveal any details about whether divers had found that hatches had been left open, allowing water to flood in, or whether the keel had been raised before the coming storm, making the yacht more unstable.

They added that the whole matter was sub judice and they were waiting for an analysis to confirm the information.

The yacht will be raised from the seabed and recovered as part of the investigation, prosecutors said, with the cost to be borne by the vessel’s owners. 

Mr Cartosio would not say when the operation would begin nor how long it could take.

Post-mortem examinations have not yet been conducted on the seven victims, investigators said.

10:51 AM BST

Press conference concludes.

The press conference has been concluded. 

Here is what we know so far.

• The chief prosecutor, Ambrogio Cartosio, has said it was “probable” that manslaughter offences were committed. 
• Several of the passengers were asleep when the storm hit, which may explain why they were not able to escape. 
• Divers have yet to find the yacht’s black box, due to the difficulty of searching the damaged vessel.
• The yacht was hit by a downburst of wind and rain and not a tornado as was previously suggested. 
• Five bodies of those who died in the incident were found in the same cabin. 

The vessel’s owner will cover the full cost of retrieving the yacht from the seabed. 

10:39 AM BST

Downburst believed to have hit yacht.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said: “It does look as if it was a downburst, but we will be more precise on that score, certainly later on. There is no certainty about it, it is pure hypothesis.

“It is very unlikely the physical situation will have been really recorded very precisely.”

10:30 AM BST

Probable that manslaughter offences were committed, say prosecution.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said: “For me it is probable that offences were committed that it could be a case of manslaughter but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate. 

“Media timing is completely different from that of a prosecutor. 

“We need a minimum amount of time to come to a proper scientific conclusion.”

He added that investigators had yet to establish whether the captain or crew were responsible for the passenger’s deaths or whether the ship builders were to blame.

“We will be establishing each element of responsibility. That will be done by the inquiry,” said Mr Cartosio.

10:24 AM BST

Yacht’s crew responsible for anticipating changes in weather.

The coast guard admiral said the yacht’s crew were responsible for anticipating any changes in the weather that may have presented a danger.

“Whether or not they decide to drop anchor in that place is entirely up to them. We’re not involved in evaluating the risk element to private vessels. That is something that should be done [by them],” he told reporters.

10:23 AM BST

We have no idea why five bodies were found in same cabin, say prosecution.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said: “The bodies were found in a cabin which was not theirs, but this doesn’t give us any kind of certainty about what happened. 

“We have no idea of the reasons for them all being found in the same cabin.”

10:19 AM BST

Passengers were asleep during storm.

It remains unclear whether those on board who died in the tragedy had been warned by the crew of the approaching storm or whether any attempt had been made by the crew to rescue them.

One of the prosecutors said the investigating team was trying to establish whether any attempt had been made by the crew who survived the disaster to rescue the passengers.

Asked why a number of passengers had been left behind, he said: “They were asleep underneath and the others weren’t.”

Responding to a question about whether the passengers were warned of the approaching storm he said: “That’s precisely what we’re trying to ascertain from the statements made by the survivors.”

Yacht’s distress signal not launched properly, says coast guard

Coast guard rear admiral Raffaele Macauda said the yacht’s emergency distress signal was not launched properly or at the right time. 

“We cannot say when the distress signal was first launched,” he said. 

10:14 AM BST

Yacht hit by ‘downburst’ of wind and rain.

The assistant prosecutor said the super yacht was hit by a “downburst” of wind and rain, not a tornado as has previously been suggested. 

10:12 AM BST

Yacht’s passengers probably tried to escape.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said “there can be no certainty” about the behaviour of the passengers on board, at the moment. 

He said: “It is probable they tried to escape but we have no real details about that, that will emerge in the course of the inquiry. 

“But there should be some evidence from the exact place of the retrieval of the bodies.” 

Coast guard rear admiral Raffaele Macauda said the owners of the yacht will bear the full cost of the vessel’s retrieval. 

10:07 AM BST

No legal obligation for crew and captain to remain in sicily.

In response to a question from The Telegraph, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio says there is no legal obligation for the skipper and crew to remain in Sicily. 

But he expects them to stay and to show “maximum cooperation” with the investigation. 

Prosecutors may well want to question them again, he says. 

10:05 AM BST

Yacht captain should have been aware of storms, say coast guard.

The chief of the coast guard said he would have expected the yacht’s captain to be aware of approaching storms on the night of the tragedy and prepare safety measures accordingly.

He said: “They are vessels that can monitor these events and one would have thought the captain had taken precautions.”

10:04 AM BST

A crew member was responsible for the hatches, says prosecution.

The prosecution is asked whether there there was any evidence of the hatches being battened down before or during the storm. 

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said: “This kind of evidence is going to be fundamental to the inquiry so it is extremely difficult or impossible for us to reply at this stage, we are still trying to establish the facts.”

On the question of the hatches, he said that information will be gleaned on the retrieval of the wreckage. 

“There was a member of the crew who was detailed to supervise the opening of the hatches,” he said.

He added the crew and captain have all been very cooperative with the prosecution. 

09:56 AM BST

Intense storm was not predicted.

Coast guard rear admiral Raffaele Macauda said: “This was an abnormal meteorological condition, and as you can see from the internet there was forecasts from midnight to 4am, winds of a strength of five from the north-west and the west and a storm alert. 

“But there wasn’t an alert of a tornado.”

He said given the conditions there was nothing to suggest an “extreme situation” arising. 

09:53 AM BST

Key question of how yacht sank in a few minutes will be investigated.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano is asked how such a large, sophisticated yacht could sink in a few minutes. He says that is one of the key questions that investigators will be pursuing. 

09:52 AM BST

Yacht’s black box still not found.

One of the inquiry team’s prosecutors said divers had yet to find the yacht’s black box, due to the difficulty of searching the damaged vessel.

He also refused to reveal any details about whether diver had found that hatches had been left open, allowing water to flood in, or whether the stabilising keel had been raised before the coming storm, making the yacht more unstable.

“We can’t reveal anything at this stage, but the facts will be confirmed by the later search of the wreckage,” he said. “The whole matter is sub-judice and we’re waiting for an analysis to confirm the information.”

The press conference was told it may take two to three months to raise the wreckage of the superyacht.

09:47 AM BST

No timeframe given on when yacht will be retrieved from seabed.

Coast guard rear admiral Raffaele Macauda says he cannot yet give a timeframe for when the yacht will be raised from the seabed or how long it will take. But it will happen. 

09:46 AM BST

We will not yet be giving information about the yacht’s keel, say prosecution.

The prosecution has said they will be not be giving information about the state of the yacht’s keel or hull at this time. 

Raffaele Cammarano said: “There will be no further statements until the inquiry is concluded. This data cannot yet be revealed because the whole matter is sub-judice, so we are waiting on analysis to confirm on the investigation. 

“So we will not be giving any information about the keel or the hull.” 

He confirmed they have no results to provide yet on the autopsy. 

Mr Cartosio added: “[The case] does not depend exclusively on the retrieval of the wreckage. There’s a whole number of calculations that can be made before.

“It’s the Italian Republic’s Prosecutor who will decide on that and all the details of the case have to be weighed up before attempting any kind of conclusion.”

09:41 AM BST

Five bodies found in same cabin.

A fire chief told the press conference: “The yacht tended to the right and obviously the bodies tried to go to the other side and take refuge in their cabins.

Prosecution asked how crew made it to lifeboat

A journalist has asked the prosecution: “How is it that the crew got on the lifeboat and none of the others survived? I just wondered if there was any kind of early reply to that?”

The chief prosecutor replied: “Obviously the inquiry is concentrating on questions such as this. We have tried to find out the maximum information possible from the crew members or the survivors.

“All I would say in response is that the incident happened really, really suddenly - I think the prosecutor just said now the inquiry will begin with the facts of the wreck and that is all I can say at the moment.” 

09:33 AM BST

Yacht cook was the first to be retrieved from the wreckage..

Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said: “We put in to operation our aviation resources but in the course of the day we had to conclude that they were missing, they were not in the sea and the body of the cook was retrieved first. 

“And this search and rescue operation continued on the surface and particularly from the air.”

09:29 AM BST

Yacht will be recovered from seabed, says prosecution.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio has said the yacht will be recovered from the seabed.

09:24 AM BST

123 dives taken by coastguard during four-day operation.

Italy’s fire service said 123 dives were undertaken by divers and they could only stay for 12 minutes maximum under the water. 

A spokesman said: “It was an intense bout of work as you can imagine and very stressful, nevertheless in four days, the results we achieved do not require any further explanation. 

“We managed to bring up all six bodies, we were operating at 50 metres depth and there was very little visibility due to the weather conditions but we achieved our aims. 

“My colleagues have shown incredible professionalism.” 

09:20 AM BST

Manslaughter investigation opened, say prosecution.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio: “A case has been opened hypothesising the crime of shipwreck and manslaughter but we are only at the initial stage of the inquiries so far, so I am going to confine myself to only giving you that information. 

He said the development of that inquiry could be of “any sort imaginable”. 

“It was absolutely indispensable to make that press conference given the interest of the world press in those who died,” he added.

The investigation is not yet targeting any individual person. 

09:18 AM BST

Sinking of the yacht was a ‘grave tragedy’.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio has recounted how the Bayesian sank in an intense storm on Monday and how the 15 survivors were rescued by another large yacht that was nearby. 

He said it was a “grave tragedy” and that in order to “reduce the dimensions of the tragedy” they called on a “big operation of firefighters and firefighting divers who have shown “incredible courage and skill” who carried out a very difficult mission indeed and have allowed us to inspect properly the wreck for bodies”.

09:14 AM BST

Yacht was already sunk by the time coastguard arrived.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said: “There are issues obviously which we cannot comment on at this stage, I think this is a real need which you will all understand in the media. 

“The right to information, to free press, often requires what we call squaring of the circle. But I would like to request some understanding, this is not a complication we are seeking ourselves. 

“So on the 19th of August at 4 o’clock in the morning the coastguards were alerted to the disaster.

“The coastguards arrived on the spot immediately but the yacht was already sunk.” 

09:11 AM BST

There has been silence around this disaster, says prosecutor.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said: “There has been silence around this disaster and we believe it is necessary therefore to publicise the fact that according to Article 5 of the Constitution of 2006 it is not possible to make comments on behalf of the prosecutor of Italy before inquiries have been made properly. 

“I have personally criticised this law in the interest of public debate because it seems to me that there is a legitimate interest here and it seems to me that this law creates a lot of obstacles in terms of informing people.”

09:02 AM BST

What’s coming up.

We’re expecting to hear from three people this morning. 

They are chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano and Italian Coast Guard officer Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda.

08:42 AM BST

Italian prosecutors expected to speak from 9am.

There’s tight security at the court complex in the town of Termini Imerese where the prosecutors will hold their first press conference. 

Guarding the entrance are police, paramilitary Carabinieri and a handful of soldiers. 

Journalists are queuing to have their bags checked at a metal detector at the front of the building. 

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Divers find 5 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 1 still missing

PORTICELLO, Sicily — Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of five passengers Wednesday, leaving one still missing as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Rescue crews brought four body bags ashore at Porticello. Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, said a fifth body had been located. Divers on-scene said they would try to recover it on Thursday while continuing the search for the sixth.

The discovery made clear the operation to search the hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater had quickly turned into a recovery one, not a rescue, given the amount of time that had passed and with no signs of life over three days of searching.

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The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (a half-mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby sailboat. The body of the ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas of Antigua, was recovered Monday.

Thomas was born in Canada, according to his cousin David Isaac, but would visit his parents’ homeland of Antigua as a child, moving permanently to the tiny eastern Caribbean island in his early 20s. Italian officials previously listed Antigua and Canada as the nationality of people on board.

The fate of six missing passengers had driven the search effort, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent US federal fraud trial.

Lynch’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office investigators were acquiring evidence for their criminal investigation, which they opened immediately after the tragedy despite no formal suspects having been publicly identified.

Questions have abounded about what caused the superyacht, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, to rapidly sink, when the nearby Sir Robert Baden Powell sailboat was largely spared and managed to rescue the survivors.

Giovanni Costantino, head of The Italian Sea Group, which owns the shipmaker, blamed human error for the disaster, which he said took 16 minutes. “The ship sank because it took on water. From where, the investigators will say,” he told RAI state television after he met with prosecutors.

Costantino cited AIS ship tracking data which he said showed the Bayesian had taken on water for four minutes when a sudden gust of wind flipped it and it continued taking on water. The ship straightened up slightly and then went down, he said.

But was it merely the case of a freak waterspout that knocked the ship to its side and allowed water to pour in through open hatches? What was the position of the keel, which on a large sailboat like the Bayesian might have been retractable, to allow it to enter shallower ports?

“There’s a lot of uncertainty as to whether it had a lifting keel and whether it might have been up,” said Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the editor of the Journal of Sailing Technology. “But if it had, then that would reduce the amount of stability that the vessel had, and therefore made it easier for it to roll over on its side,” he said in an interview.

The captain of the sailboat that rescued survivors said his craft sustained minimal damage — the frame of a sun awning broke — even with winds that he estimated reached 12 on the Beaufort wind scale, which is the highest hurricane-strength force on the scale.

He said he had remained anchored with his engines running to try to maintain the ship’s position as the forecasted storm rolled in.

“Another possibility is to heave anchor before the storm and to run downwind at open sea,” Karsten Bornersaid in a text message. But he said that might not have been possible for the Bayesian, given its trademark 75-meter (246-foot) tall mast.

“If there was a stability problem, caused by the extremely tall mast, it would not have been better at open sea,” he said.

Yachts like the Bayesian are required to have watertight, sub-compartments that are specifically designed to prevent a rapid, catastrophic sinking even when some parts fill with water.

The underwater search continued in dangerous and time-consuming conditions. Because of the wreck’s depth, which requires special precautions, divers working in pairs could only spend about 12 minutes at a time searching, though reinforcements outfitted with special equipment to enable longer dives were on the wreck Wednesday.

In all, some 27 divers took rotations, including four who helped with recovery after the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster off Tuscany. They called the Porticello wreck a “little Concordia,” fire crews said in a statement.

The limited dive time was aimed in part at avoiding decompression sickness, also known as the “bends,” which can occur when divers stay underwater for long periods and ascend too quickly, allowing nitrogen gas dissolved in the blood to form bubbles.

“The longer you stay, the slower your ascent has to be,” said Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA magazine. He said the tight turnaround time suggested the operation’s managers were trying to limit the risks and recovery time after each dive.

“It sounds like they’re operating essentially on no decompression or very tight decompression, or they’re being extremely conservative,” he said.

Divers were also working with debris floating around them, limited visibility and air tanks on their backs.

“We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down,” said Luca Cari, spokesman for the fire rescue service. “An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These aren’t normal conditions. We’re at the limit of possibility.”

Winfield reported from Rome and Kirka from London. Associated Press visual journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome and Andrea Rosa in Porticello and reporter Anika Kentish in St. John’s, Antigua contributed.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Thomas was born in Canada, not Antigua.

Last body from sunken superyacht has been recovered off Sicily

The woman's body has not been officially identified, but hannah lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of british tech magnate mike lynch, is reportedly unaccounted for., by the associated press • published august 23, 2024 • updated on august 23, 2024 at 8:08 am.

Italian rescuers brought ashore the body of the final missing person who was on a superyacht that sunk off the coast of Sicily.

The woman’s body was detected on Friday, the Coast Guard said. She has not been officially identified, but Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, is reportedly unaccounted for. The Lynch family was aboard The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, when went down in a storm early Monday.

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Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.

Mike Lynch’s body was recovered Thursday . He had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial in the United States.

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His wife Angela Bacares was among the 15 survivors.

Divers struggled to find the six bodies trapped in the yacht’s hull 50 meters (164 feet) underwater.

Divers find 5 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 1 still missing

Tech magnate Mike Lynch's body found in sunken superyacht wreckage, officials say

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Everyone from the sunken yacht off Sicily has now been accounted for

Updated August 23, 2024 at 14:52 PM ET

Italian authorities say the bodies of all seven people who died after a sailing yacht sank on Monday have now been recovered. The final discovery was announced on Friday; the other six bodies had been found after the calamity.

Tech mogul Mike Lynch is among the people whose bodies were recovered from the sailing yacht, called Bayesian. The massive yacht sank in a violent storm along the shore of Sicily early on Monday.

Italian divers on Friday recovered the body of Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18, who was the last person unaccounted for.

Lynch’s body was identified on Thursday, according to The Associated Press and other news outlets, citing the Italian coast guard. The agency did not immediately respond to messages from NPR.

The sea rescue operation included 123 dives, according to the Italian fire brigade . Robotic craft have also been used in the search.

Local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia reports that Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, 18, is believed to be the only remaining missing person from the calamity.

15 people survived the catastrophe

Bayesian, with a length of more than 180 feet, had 22 passengers and crew aboard when it sank in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning. Eyewitness accounts cited a waterspout — a highly localized spiraling storm that’s essentially a marine tornado. One body was found, and 15 survivors made it to safety. That left six people unaccounted for.

Since then, the Italian Coast Guard has been working to find survivors -- and as time passed, what started as a rescue effort became a recovery operation to retrieve bodies from inside the sunken ship.

The Palermo Coast Guard told NPR that the operation has been complicated by the depth and position of the hull, which lies on the seabed at a depth of around 50 meters, about a half-mile from the port in Porticello, Sicily.

Who were the missing people?

The six passengers who had been unaccounted for include Lynch and his daughter, along with Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife. Judy. A lawyer for Lynch named Chris Morvillo, and his wife, Neda, were also missing in the days after the yacht sank.

One member of the crew -- Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef -- also went missing. Local news reports have suggested it was Thomas’ body that was found soon after the ship sank.

Who survived the sinking?

Survivors include Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, along with Charlotte Golunski, who works at Invoke Capital, Lynch’s venture capital firm. Golunski was on the ship with her daughter, Sofia, who had just celebrated her first birthday.

In an interview with La Repubblica , Golunski said that as the ship sank, she used all her strength to hold her arms above water and prevent Sofia from drowning. Sofia’s father was also onboard and survived.

Ayla Ronald, a lawyer who worked on Lynch’s fraud case, and her partner also escaped the wreck. Other survivors include several crew members, including two women in their early 20s who were part of the ship’s staff.

Who was Mike Lynch?

Lynch, 59, was the founder of Autonomy, a search engine and software company. Hewlett-Packard bought Autonomy for $11 billion in 2011, but Lynch then faced accusations — and then federal fraud charges — that he had misrepresented his company’s financial health and prospects. Lynch denied the claims, saying HP was blaming him for its own problems.

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