bill gates yacht antibes

A Closer Look at Serene: The $330 Million Yacht Bill Gates Chartered

While many people must scrimp and save to afford a family holiday, that is not the case for the rich and famous, who have the financial means to go wherever they want whenever they want. You will not find them in budget motels or trying out a destination’s free attractions. Instead, wealthy people can choose the most luxurious accommodation and unique experiences possible for their vacation. One such person who can afford these luxuries is Bill Gates who, with a personal net worth of $95.4 billion, is the second richest person in the world. He has even chartered a yacht worth $330 million to enjoy a vacation with his family.

According to Boat International , Gates chartered a yacht called ‘Serene’ for an estimated $5 million per week. He did this to enjoy a break away with his wife and three children. The family enjoyed a week together on the yacht just off the coast of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, in August 2014.

The 133-foot yacht is one of the largest in the world, and it is owned by Yuri Scheffler, the Stolichnaya vodka magnet. This yacht was delivered to him in 2011, and he has had it on the charter market ever since. Built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, it has a rather impressive crew of 53 to take care of the needs of those who charter the yacht. So, what is on the inside of this ship to make it such an amazing experience that is worthy of the high price tag?

The Yacht Charter Fleet has ways for its travelers to enjoy activities both off and onboard. The helipad is available so that guests can take trips to the mainland to enjoy a little sightseeing, a meal in a restaurant, or a local activity. There are also jet-skis available for some fun one the waves around the boat or to travel back to the mainland to enjoy some time away from the yacht. Furthermore, the yacht has its very own submarine. However, you might wonder why anyone would want to get away from the yacht when there is so much to enjoy onboard, including activities for children. Just some of the activities and amenities on board for entertainment include a climbing wall, a trans-deck waterslide, a snow room, a playroom, multiple pools, and a cinema. This means that there are plenty of things onboard to keep the children entertained.

This yacht is not all about the kids having fun, as there are plenty of things for the adults, too. In fact, Serene has a myriad of amenities spread over its six decks that make this a unique way to vacation. From the outside, one of the ship’s most impressive features is its supersized bathtub on the sun deck. The award-winning Serene has a private beach club that has a secluded sunbathing area and a sauna. There are also two Jacuzzis and a sundeck dance floor. Opposite the relaxing hot tun tucked underneath the ship’s observational deck is a fully stocked wet bar with extra sun loungers.

Two of the indoor living and entertaining spaces include a cocktail lounge and a piano bar, while outdoor there are various al fresco dining areas, such as a wet bar, a barbeque, a Teppanyaki grill, and a pizza oven. An unusual space in this yacht is the underwater observation lounge, which many people would find a relaxing area as they watch marine life existing in tranquility around them. Serene also has rather impressive accommodation and it can accommodate up to 24 guests. There are 12 luxurious staterooms, include a master suite, a VIP suite, seven double suites, and three twin cabins. The interior design is the work of Espen Oeino with styling by Reymond Langton. The duo has created living spaces that are stylish and opulent while also being comfortable and versatile.

One of the most impressive areas in terms of styling is the sky lounge. This room is decorated in shades of cream that is accented by darker colors and finished with wooden fixtures. It is equipped with sofas, chairs, and coffee tables for relaxing, and boasts some of the most impressive views from the ship which you can view from almost any vantage point. Another fantastic space is the main lounge, which is a more formal area for entertaining. The main color used is white, which gives the room a bright and airy feel, and some warmth is added with darker tones. Central to the room is a piano, which is surrounded by cocktail tables. An unusual feature of this room is its chandelier. The lounge is located directly above the main dining area, and the chandelier drops between the two rooms.

A double staircase leads down to the chic dining area below. It is set to accommodate a maximum of 24 guests and features two 12-seater tables. However, there is the possibility of entertaining even more people as the tables are extendable and there is plenty of space. This means you can host a banquet in this room. Floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides of the rooms give spectacular panoramic ocean views.

Bill Gates’ time on the yacht with his family is part of his plan to take a more relaxed approach to life and to spend some time away from the office. He has said that he doesn’t have the energy he had when he was younger and plans to balance running his Microsoft Empire and enjoying time with his family better now that he is older. This includes taking vacations away with his loved one. Serene and other chartered yachts are the perfect way for this billionaire businessman to relax and have some fun in comfort and privacy.

Since Gates’ vacation on the yacht, Scheffler has sold the superyacht to Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia says Yacht Harbor . The Saudi Arabian royal paid a whopping $458 million for the yacht in July 2015. The yacht was once the ninth largest in the world, but it has now dropped into the 15th place because even more impressive superyachts have been built since.

Liz Flynn has worked as a full-time writer since 2010 after leaving a career in education. She finds almost all topics she writes about interesting, but her favorite subjects are travel and food. Liz loves the process of researching information, learning new things, and putting into words what others who share her interests might like to read. Although she spends most of her time writing, she also enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, watching films, cooking, dining out, reading, motorsports, gaming, and walking along the beach next to her house with her dog.

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In Port Vauban, Antibes, lying between Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera, the Quai des Milliardaires – ‘Billionaires’ Quay’ – has undergone an extensive transformation, consolidating its position as the leading yachting hub in the Mediterranean.

A paradise for yachting and super yachting enthusiasts, Port Vauban is Europe’s largest yachting harbour, with over 1,500 berths and 18 superyacht berths of up to 160 metres.

Since May 2023, both the quay and IYCA (International Yacht Club d’Antibes) building – which houses a yacht club, bar, and crew centre – have been renovated to renew both the appearance and infrastructure of the quay, making it the centre of a 21st century port, focused on offering a range of high-end, high-quality utilities, combining amenities, technical services, a concierge service, and festive and sports events. Also crucial was preserving its refined aesthetic appearance that complements the architectural character of the local area and surrounding landscape, with the terraces of the Quai des Milliardaires facing the Mediterranean horizon on one side, and the heritage old town and Fort Carré on the other.

The entire complex now boasts a distinctive and compelling architecture, masterminded by Atelier d’Architecture Philippe Prost, combining traditional heritage techniques with cutting edge construction technology and materials. Concrete, stainless steel, marble, intelligent glass, and ceramics are blended to produce an engaging visual façade, while the decking surfaces of the quay itself, as well as the stairs, pontoons, benches, and handrails, have been made from environmentally friendly Kebony Clear wood. Its elegant knot-free appearance and silvery patina allow it to blend harmoniously into this prestigious setting, whilst its enhanced durability and minimal maintenance requirements – guaranteed for 30 years – mean it can withstand all the demands of an exposed marine environment.

Developed in Norway, Kebony transforms sustainable softwoods, such as pine, into products with comparable aesthetic and mechanical characteristics to tropical hardwoods. This diverts the need for deforestation of the planet’s vital rainforest sinks, helping to reduce CO2 emissions.

The wood is first infused with a bio-based liquid, activating a reaction in the wood cell walls to become 50% thicker, increasing the dimensional stability, durability, and hardness of the wood. The resulting Kebony wood has a significantly reduced water sensitivity and does not splinter which, alongside its minimal environmental impact and refined aesthetic finish, made it the ideal material to deal with the high levels of weathering and intensive use in the coastal setting of the Quai des Milliardaires.

As the lead architects from Atelier d’Architecture Philippe Prost commented, “The desire to use strips of wood for large outdoor terraces came early on, by analogy with boat decks. Kebony wood was chosen for its aesthetic qualities, its durability – particularly in a highly exposed marine environment – and for its natural character.”

Nina Landbø, International Sales Manager for Kebony, adds: “The regeneration of Quai des Milliardaires represents the versatility of Kebony, providing a simultaneously sustainable, beautiful, and high performing modified wood product that will last for many years to come.”

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Billionaires’ Quay – Antibes, France

Asking price.

Price: On Request

Billionaires’ Quay - French Riviera - France - Limited Megayacht Berths - Berths for Stopover, Passage and Temporary of Medium Duration Possible - Permanent Berths on Waiting List - Expansion Project in Discussions...

Berth Description

The BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY also known as the “IYCA”, currently stretches 650 m out into the sea and is the main breakwater of the entire port Vauban of Antibes. It has 19 berths for yachts up to 90 m in length, including two larger berths for 150 m and 165 m Megayachts. The leaseholds giving the right to use the berths located on this famous quay sell for record figures and they are extremely limited and highly demanded.

The berth owners of the BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY in Antibes are among the wealthiest individuals on the planet, and their Megayachts, the most stunning. Though this quay was an ambitious project in its early days, this section of the port is nowadays also subject to overwhelming demand.

Knowing how much Megayachts generate for the economy, since 2011 the port Vauban and the town of Antibes have projected an expansion which would double the length of the jetty up to 1,250 m, creating an additional 450 m of quay for 25 Superyacht and Megayacht berths, with the possibility to even welcome cruise ships, as well as creating shelter for the area on the north-eastern flank of Fort Carré. The cost of this extension is estimated at 230,000,000 €.

The exploitation of the basin of the BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY in Port Vauban of Antibes is managed by the International Yacht Club of Antibes “IYCA”, which financed and realized this project of moorings for Megayachts.

The BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY is located opposite the Fort Vauban hill and the berth layouts features a configuration essentially for Megayachts and some Superyachts in addition right next to the International Yacht Club.

The BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY of Antibes was built in order to accommodate 19 large pleasure vessels; It has been laid out as follows: 7 Posts of 70m x 16m 4 Posts of 80m x 18m 6 Posts of 90m x 20m 1 Post of 150m x 28m 1 Post of 165m x 40m

Mooring of Megayachts: A new system of mooring boxes is installed; it removes all chains, mooring buoys and brings to the ships security and ease of docking.

Heliport: The helicopter landing area represents a 28m by 29m rectangle. It has a regulatory sign allowing, subject to the authorization of the IYCA, the landing day and night. In addition, the heliport has four parking spaces.

KEY FEATURES • 23 km from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport • 25 minutes from the private airport of Cannes-Mandelieu • Heliport • All imaginable services for Superyachts and Megayachts • Shipyard • Beaches nearby • Luxury hotels and palaces nearby • Old town of Antibes on foot • Restaurants, bars, shops and fresh produce at the Antibes market • Exclusive and secure access • Private parking just behind your yacht • Luxury real estate of Cap d’Antibes

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS Latitude: 43° 35′ 26.28″ N Longitude: 007° 07′ 51.93″ E Berths: 19 plus some stopover or temporary moorings for Superyachts around the IYCA Length: From 70 to 165 m Draft of water: 5 to 8 m max (Outport) Noticeable landmarks: Tower of the old town and Fort Carré Access: By an access pass 50 m wide, delicate by strong East wind; day and night access in all weather conditions Entrance lights: Epi Fort Carré FI.G.4s vos. 003 – 048 (45) and 186 – 218 (32) Predominant wind: East

SERVICES AND USEFUL INFORMATION VHF: Channel 9 Maximum speed in entry channel and basins: 3 knots 24 hour reception Permanent watch MONACO MARINE Antibes Shipyard Water and electricity Pumping station Fuel Station Waste Collection

COMMENTS Even if the berths are extremely limited and highly demanded in the BILLIONAIRES’ QUAY in the port Vauban of Antibes, Allied Yachting will endeavour to obtain you a berth for stopover, passage and possibly temporary of medium duration.

In this port reserved for very large vessels, it is important to be patient and to plan in advance for any berth reservation. Please contact us for rates and availabilities.

We will be periodically informing our clients on the expansion project, especially if pre-sales or an extended waiting list are opened.

Billionaires’ Quay – Antibes, France Berth Video

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Bill Gates Enjoys Sardinia Charter on board Superyacht SERENE

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By Editorial Team   8 August 2014

The 133m/436ft superyacht SERENE has welcomed aboard the world’s wealthiest man, Bill Gates and his family for a charter vacation in the beautiful cruising grounds of Sardinia .

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist along with his wife and three children have been enjoying the Mediterranean summer in style this week during their annual vacation off the coast of Porto Cervo. As one of the largest superyachts in the world and equipped with every conceivable amenity in addition to an in impressive crew of 52, the 2011 Fincantieri-built motor yacht SERENE was the perfect choice for this ultra-luxurious vacation.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, the on board helipad was put to good use with trips to the mainland for some tennis lessons followed by an afternoon out on the jet-skis to entertain the kids. If that wasn’t enough, there is also a submarine, snowroom, cinema, playroom, multiple pools, a climbing wall and a trans-deck waterslide on offer to keep them entertained for hours. 

In between running his Microsoft Empire and extensive charity commitments, luxury charter vacations have provided the perfect platform for him and his family to enjoy time together in comfort and privacy.

The grown-ups aren’t left out of the fun however during a charter on the award-winning SERENE, with an exhaustive array of facilities. For total relaxation, the private beach club features a sauna and secluded sunbathing area, there is also a sundeck dance floor, two Jacuzzi’s and numerous al fresco dining areas to choose from. For entertaining meanwhile, SERENE provides luxurious interior living spaces to include a chic piano lounge with cocktail bar while outside a wet bar, barbeque, pizza oven and Teppanyaki grill ensure fantastic Mediterranean soirees. 

She is one of a handful of yachts able to charter with more than 12 guests, boasting 12 stunning staterooms to accommodate up to 24 guests, comprising a master suite, VIP, seven doubles and three twin cabins. With design from Espen Oeino and interior styling by Reymond Langton, SERENE has been meticulously design to offer charter vacations of the highest calibre while ensuring stylish, comfortable and versatile living spaces. 

In an interview earlier this year, Mr Gates said he doesn't plan to stay at the office for days at a time as he did in his younger days when he had 'energy and naiveté' on his side. In between running his Microsoft Empire and extensive charity commitments, luxury charter vacations have provided the perfect platform for him and his family to enjoy time together in comfort and privacy.  Since its founding, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has raised and donated billions towards research and development to tackle problems throughout the world to help the world’s poorest people lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. 

Whether it’s a classic sailing yacht or magnificent luxury vessel such as SERENE, charter yacht vacations offer the world’s most high profile names the freedom to experience private time with loved ones away from the spotlight. Charter rates for SERENE start at €1,600,000 per week to €2,800,000 plus expenses, for further information contact your yacht charter broker . Alternatively take a look at the full selection of motor yachts available for charter . 

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Challenges Fortunes

A Antibes, un chantier à 7 millions pour le méga-yacht de Bill Gates

Par Laurent Fargues le 13.05.2022 à 14h50 Ecouter 4 min.

EXCLUSIF Les deux quais du port d’Antibes, réservés par le milliardaire américain il y a deux ans, vont être largement réaménagés pour accueillir un méga-yacht de 120 mètres et un catamaran géant de 67 mètres. Le chantier doit être achevé au printemps 2023.

Le "quai des milliardaires" dans le port de plaisance d'Antibes

Rien n’est trop beau pour la dernière folie navale du quatrième homme le plus riche du monde. Comme l’avait révélé The Telegraph en février 2020 , Bill Gates se fait actuellement construire un méga-yacht dans le plus grand secret. Selon notre confère britannique, le milliardaire aurait jeté son dévolu sur un palace flottant avec piscine à cascades et salles de gym donnant sur l’océan, fonctionnant totalement à l’hydrogène. A l’époque, l’armateur supposé, Sinot, avait démenti l’existence de tout contrat.

D’après nos informations, le fondateur de Microsoft attend pourtant bel et bien la livraison d’un méga-yacht dans les mois à venir, sans doute pour le printemps 2023. La preuve: de vastes travaux vont être engagés ces prochains mois dans le port de plaisance d’Antibes, là où le milliardaire a réservé deux emplacements. En 2020, Bill Gates a en effet mis la main sur la plus longue partie du fameux "quai des milliardaires" , celle qui avait été construite dans les années 1980 pour le yacht du roi Fahd d’Arabie saoudite. Située à l’avant-port, elle comporte une place de 180 mètres, ainsi qu’un poste de 63,5 mètres supplémentaires pour un autre bateau. Deux places louées pour une vingtaine d’années au moins par l’entrepreneur pour la bagatelle de 63 millions d’euros. Une paille comparée aux 600 millions d’euros que lui coûterait la construction de son futur méga-yacht!

Méga-yacht de 120 mètres et 7.300 tonnes

Le 27 mars dernier, la société Vauban 21, qui gère le port de plaisance d’Antibes, a lancé un appel d’offres pour réaménager les deux emplacements. Le poste principal va voir son môle -la partie du quai où le navire est directement amarré- passer de 40 mètres à plus de 120 mètres afin d’accueillir dans les meilleures conditions le colosse des mers de Bill Gates. L’extension du quai doit aussi permettre "la circulation de chariot élévateur et de poids lourds de 30 tonnes" et sera recouvert de "dalles de finition en béton". Une grue temporaire pourrait même être positionnée au centre du môle pour faciliter le chargement des marchandises. Le poste "1 bis" va, lui, être entièrement démoli et refait, afin de déplacer l’hélistation, d’élargir "l’espace de manœuvre" et d’installer une passerelle piétonne de 20 mètres "en platelage bois".

Les documents techniques liés à l’appel d’offres lèvent un coin de voile sur la flotte du milliardaire américain. "L’objectif de la mission est de permettre l’accueil de navires de standing de grande taille", peut-on lire. Les travaux sur l’emplacement 1 bis sont prévus pour un catamaran de 67 mètres de longueur, de 14 mètres de largeur et de 1.738 tonnes, doté d’un mini-héliport. Soit un modèle similaire au célèbre  Wayfinder , qui appartiendrait à Bill Gates. Quant au super-yacht, il mesure 120 mètres de long pour 19 mètres de large et un poids total de 7.300 tonnes.

Chantier à 7,1 millions d'euros

A lire l’appel d’offres, le marché total s’élèverait à 7,1 millions d’euros pour un chantier de neuf mois. Les entreprises, souhaitant concourir, avaient jusqu’au 25 avril pour déposer leur dossier. "D’une manière ou d’une autre, il y a de fortes chances que ce soit Bill Gates qui règle in fine la quasi-intégralité de la facture, confie un connaisseur du dossier, car la société de gestion du port n’est pas dans une bonne passe financière." L’épidémie de Covid, puis la guerre en Ukraine, sont en effet peu propices au voyage des méga-yachts autour du globe et la clientèle russe déserte les ports occidentaux, de peur des sanctions . Le Dilbar , possédé par le magnat de la métallurgie Alicher Ousmanov, autre bateau star du quai des milliardaires, a d’ailleurs été immobilisé en Allemagne.

Contactées, la société Vauban 21 et la responsable en Europe de la Fondation de Bill et Melinda Gates n'ont pas souhaité répondre aux questions de Challenges . 

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Who was on superyacht that sank off Sicily?

Twenty-two people were on board the Bayesian superyacht including British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his wife and 18-year-old daughter, and Morgan Stanley International boss Jonathan Bloomer.

Friday 23 August 2024 12:34, UK

Details have emerged of the 22 people who were on board the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it got into difficulty in the early hours of Monday.

Seven bodies have now been recovered. The other 15 people on board were rescued.

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British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among the original six people missing. On Thursday, divers confirmed his body had been recovered.

Raised in Ilford, east London by Irish parents, the 59-year-old made millions with the software company Autonomy he set up in 1996.

He had an estimated net worth of £852m, according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, and is believed to have owned the yacht.

Off the back of Automomy's global success, Mr Lynch was given the roles of science adviser to former prime minister David Cameron and non-executive director of the BBC.

The Cambridge maths and sciences graduate sold the firm for £8.64bn to US giant Hewlett Packard (HP) in 2011.

Dubbed the "British Bill Gates", Mr Lynch has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case related to the sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011.

HP accused him of deliberately overstating the value of the company before it was acquired by the American technology firm. Mr Lynch denied any wrongdoing.

In June, a US jury cleared him of all charges .

Read more: Lynch's co-defendant dies days before yacht disaster

Hannah Lynch

Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch was also on board. A body believed to be that of the teenager was recovered on Friday from the yacht wreckage.

She had been on holiday with her parents, having secured a place to study English at the University of Oxford, according to reports.

Her former school, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said they were "incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic accident" when the yacht first sank.

Angela Bacares

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares was on board the yacht and was rescued.

The 57-year-old said she and Mr Lynch were awoken by the boat "tilting" at 4am - half an hour before it sank.

Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International, was confirmed dead on Thursday.

According to the Financial Times, Mr Bloomer appeared as a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair were good friends. He also chaired Autonomy's audit committee.

The 70-year-old was the chief executive of UK-Hong Kong insurer Prudential until he was ousted by the board in 2005.

He was also chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox.

Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomer's wife Judy was on the yacht trip with her husband. Divers confirmed they found her body on Thursday.

Mrs Bloomer was a former board member at The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynaecological cancers.

The charity described her as a "brilliant champion for women's health and medical research... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years".

Read more: 'Alarming' potential cause of superyacht disaster What we know about superyacht that sank

Recaldo Thomas

The yacht's on-board chef Recaldo Thomas died in the sinking.

He was Canadian-Antiguan and part of the crew of the Bayesian.

His body was the first to be recovered from the wreckage.

Chris Morvillo

US lawyer Chris Morvillo was among those divers found dead on Thursday.

The father-of-two worked on Mr Lynch's US fraud trial and was a partner of law firm Clifford Chance's US branch.

Mr Morvillo was assistant attorney for the Southern District of New York between 1995 and 2005 and worked on the terrorist investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

In a recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch's trial.

Signing off the post, he said: "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.

"None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…."

Neda Morvillo

Mr Morvillo's wife Neda died in the disaster alongside her husband.

The 57-year-old had a luxury jewellery brand, which she ran under her maiden name Neda Nassiri.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Ayla Ronald

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, survived the yacht disaster, the law firm confirmed.

The 36-year-old worked alongside Chris Morvillo in helping defend Mike Lynch in court.

Clifford Chance said in a statement: "Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident."

She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, her father told local media there.

He said she was left "very shaken" but "she and her partner are alive".

Charlotte Golunski

Charlotte Golunski was on board the yacht and was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia.

She spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, confirming she survived the yacht sinking and told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning," she said.

"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."

The 35-year-old is a partner at one of Mr Lynch's firms - Invoke Capital - and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She also worked at Hewlett Packard, which acquired Autonomy in 2011, for 11 months.

Before that, she studied history at the University of Oxford.

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James Emsley

Ms Golunski's partner James Emsley was also rescued from the yacht, according to Sicily's civil protection agency.

The 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter.

James Cutfield

The 51-year-old captain of the yacht spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica after he was rescued.

Mr Cutfield, from New Zealand, was taken for treatment at the Termini Imerese emergency unit, where he told the newspaper: "We didn't see it coming."

Leah Randall

Leah Randall was part of the Bayesian crew and survived the sinking.

She was pictured going ashore in Porticello on Monday morning and is from South Africa.

Her mother Heidi told Sky News said she was "beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God".

"It doesn't make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives [or are] missing. My very deepest condolences to the chef's family as they formed a great friendship," she said.

Katja Chicken

Katja Chicken was another South African member of crew on board the Bayesian and was pictured being brought to safety in Porticello on Monday.

The Italian coastguard confirmed on Tuesday evening that Leo Eppel, a crew member, also survived the yacht sinking.

Related Topics

• Superyacht sinking

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Lana: On board the 107m Benetti for charter from €1.8m a week

At 107 metres, Lana is one of the biggest superyachts ever to be launched by Italian shipyard Benetti and is currently hitting the headlines as the charter yacht of choice of Bill Gates and party guest Jeff Bezos. Take a glimpse on board...

At 107 metres, you’d think the most noteworthy features of Lana might be her sweeping dimensions or the warren of spa facilities in her belly. But actually, it’s the minutiae – because every chair, door, nut, bolt and widget of this vast yacht represents a careful judgement by a fastidious and deeply involved owner.

“This is the first build Imperial has ever done where the owner was climbing around the bilges, checking the spaces – his idea of quality went down absolutely to the nth degree,” says Julia Stewart, director of Imperial, which oversaw the build for the owner. Fittingly for such a mindset, Imperial has a microscopic approvals process that means “hundreds and hundreds” of samples are sent to the principal, and then on to the yard for reference: “Every fabric, every little hinge, every door handle, every piece of carpet – everything,” says Stewart. While potentially onerous for a builder, she believes this way of working ultimately benefits everyone, because when a subcontractor asks, “Is this OK?” the builder can point to the sample and say, “No, this is the standard.” And that, says Stewart, was a fundamental plank of the brief – vertiginously high quality.

The yard in this case was Benetti, the Tuscan builder who launched three 100-metre-plus yachts in just 100 days between 2018 and 2019 – all three were on site together at one point. Lana , the second, was arguably the “most Benetti” of the three, penned inside and out by the yard’s own design teams. In the last decade, Benetti had built a 90-metre ( Lionheart ) and a few boats around  the 70-metre mark, but it is better known for its  50- to 65-metre superyachts. 

Constructing three “gigayachts” at the same time, therefore, involved a serious change of gear. To this end, the yard  built three 130-metre-long sheds and took over a Livorno dry dock that could take 80,000 tonnes, for launching and recovering the yachts. They also moved staff to an office closer to the dry dock when the boat was there, so they could keep an eye on her. The on-site manpower required was enormous: whereas a “standard” build would involve 100 workers, Lana required 300 people on the yacht every working day for four years – and that ramps up to 1,800 if you count those working on the project off-board. To manage the build – and all the extra staff – Benetti’s usual managerial team of five per yacht grew to 20 for Lana .

And then there was Covid-19. “It was close to being finished but about six months before delivery, it hit,” says Stewart. “Obviously a lot of contractors were affected by it. Tuscany wasn’t affected as much as further north but all the contractors’ facilities are up there.” There were also issues with getting flag surveyors to the boat, although having 18 crew on board added a helpful flexibility for such visits. The yard, meanwhile, kept the project moving and did not close.

Leading the charge for Benetti was Elisabetta Maria Di Noto, who joined as project manager in 2018, fresh from the build of Lionheart , Benetti’s flagship before the 100-metre-plus hat-trick. “The giga client is very different from, say, the ‘normal’ client,” she says, describing the approach of Lana ’s owner. “He’s a very powerful person, a very precise person, firm and confident – the highest-demand client I’ve ever met.” The yacht was to be a reflection of those qualities, and to that end, “he followed every single phase of the construction, every single design, every line.”

During ideas meetings, more and more horizontal elements were removed from the exterior design until only long, low lines were left, with mild undulations for balconies and wing stations. “The extreme horizontal lines give it a very robust, masculine persona,” says Benetti exterior designer Michele Guerrieri, “while the three-dimensional elements add fluidity and elegance to that.” Despite this sleek appearance, the 2.7-metre head-heights are described by all involved as the most astounding aspect of the interior – a magic trick you can only pull off in a boat this big. “It’s almost cathedral-like,” says Stewart. “It’s a very airy, light boat.”

This frame is flattered, says Di Noto, by “soft colour palettes that offer a feeling of tranquillity.” The idea was a relaxing interior that was neutral enough that you would not get bored after a few cruises. The natural materials that run through the decor – largely leather, ayous wood and marble – have been worked by Italian artisans, whose skill is a point of pride for Benetti. “I don’t like fussy objects and endless detail,” says Benetti interior designer Mauro Izzo. “There needs to be a balance – not too much, not too little, but everything has  to be special.”

The main saloon is suitably grand, with pale grey sofas by the Luxury Living Group arranged around a white leather, marble and stainless-steel coffee table, which was designed by Izzo and built by Viareggio furniture-maker Sealine. Forward, the dining saloon is flooded with light via huge sliding glass doors that entirely open up the space on both sides. The dining table is made of wood, leather and stainless steel, inset with an engraved brass panel, while each chair is “inset with a hand-carved crystal lion.”

The combination of airy dimensions and decorative mastery is also on show in the bridge deck master suite. Full beam, on a yacht with a 14.4-metre beam, is something to behold. In the cabin there’s space enough for seating areas both to port and starboard, while full-width sliding doors on to broad balconies open up the space even more. The suite’s study features a custom-made desk with Bentley armchairs and bespoke lamps decorated with tiger’s eye gemstones to complement the suite’s cream carved carpets and milk chocolate-toned ayous wood. The bathroom forward is lined with cool crema marfil marble that was selected in Valencia and worked to a polish in Sicily. “It’s luxurious without being aggressive; it’s opulent but accessible,” says Izzo.

The area also showcases a more pragmatic aim of the project – privacy – in both the spatial sense and in terms of sound transfer. To the first point, the master suite is self-contained, with its own pantries. It’s also positioned on the bridge deck, between two non-social spaces – the bridge zone, with the captain and first officer’s cabins, and the stairwell. If the suite were in an aft deck position, there might be a deck space connected to the lower decks via stairs, or at least a view of those decks. Here, the master cabin benefits from two broad but very private balconies: “we have ceramic heating outside here,” notes Stewart. Throughout the boat, the intersection between guest and crew areas has also been carefully routed and planned.

And sound? Well, the boat has been strategically and amply insulated to keep auditory separation between spaces. In the 80-square-metre bridge deck piano lounge you’ll hear the tinkling ivories, rather than the state-of-the-art Sonus Faber Olympica sound system of the saloon-cum-cinema just forward (which is connected but can be closed off via highly insulated sliding doors).

Top-quality, reliable tech was another facet  of the brief, and it’s everywhere, down to the sophisticated LED lighting system that produces little heat and therefore saves energy by sparing the air conditioning. The seven (yes, seven) VIP cabins, with an average size of 32 to 33 square metres, on the main deck all feature 65-inch 4K OLED televisions and the sundeck features every bit of party tech imaginable: a California Audio Technology system with 10 speakers and two subwoofers; a space prepped for two club-standard speakers with two built-in K-array subwoofers; and a set-up for DJ decks. Not to mention the four 55-inch 4K SunBrite outdoor televisions. With plenty to look after, Imperial made sure the AV/IT guy got his own mini-office.

But this isn’t the only impressive technology on board. Lana is powered by eight diesel generators, controlled by a highly responsive power management system that means the minimum energy is used to satisfy power requirements. There are also two high-tech side-launching Benetti-built tenders stored on the lower deck –  a 14-metre limo tender designed by Giorgio Cassetta , and a nine-metre open tender for watersports and diving, which was penned in-house. Then there’s the treasure trove of toys, an ample dive store and even golf clubs with biodegradable balls. These can be put to good use on the fold-down balconies of the 120-square- metre beach club – where the atmosphere is anything but “outdoorsy.”

“The furniture features handles made of ammonite fossils, and then we have niches made of turquoise turtle, hosting corals,” says Di Noto. There’s a huge central seating area, off which lie a gym, hammam with mosaics and RGB “stars” and a massage room.

Throughout the boat, the finish in deck areas is taken as seriously as it is indoors. “Outside, the ceilings are made of natural oiled teak, so they  give a more precious feeling in the exterior areas,” says Di Noto. “All the external tables are made of  teak, stainless steel and glass – a very complicated design – and the exterior sofas are made in wood and stainless steel, and in some areas they are underlit.” The dining tables on the main and bridge decks aft, for example, feature backlit onyx, stainless steel and high-gloss teak. And the exterior aft deck tables can be converted into bioethanol firepits.

The sundeck’s eight-metre pool, vast sunbathing areas and shaded dining table with a backlit honey onyx base (this al fresco dining area measures 100 square metres) will likely be the daytime hub, as well as party central at night. The top deck, meanwhile, is more intimate and feels like a spot for a quiet coffee or maybe cocktails.

Imperial is rightly proud of its achievements in Lana , and for Benetti she’s part of a new chapter in the yard’s story. “This,” says Di Noto, “will,  I think, remain in Benetti not only as a physical investment in terms of sheds and materials, but also as know-how and experience that everybody can apply to other projects in the future.”

Closer look: Lana's 3D-printed chandelier

The chandelier-cum-sculpture in the centre of Lana ’s lobby both highlights the grand scale of the space it sits in and demonstrates the perfectionism that went into every detail of the yacht. “We went through 10 different renderings before settling on the one the client wanted,” recalls Benetti interior designer Mauro Izzo. The piece was commissioned from Italian lightmaker Luce5. “It was quite challenging for them because to actually show the owner of the boat how it was going to look, they had to build it in a 3D printer,” says Julia Stewart, director of Imperial.

Once the real thing was moulded in mirror-polished stainless steel, installation offered its own difficulties: “At six metres in length, it’s not so much a lighting feature as an architectural element of the boat,” notes Izzo. From a structural point of view, it sits above a glass table and marble floor, intersections that were carefully managed. “A lot of vibration testing was done and it’s got steadying bars for heavy weather,” says Stewart. Within the thin strip of metal lies a track of lights that had to be changed four or five times to get each spot and glint in the exact position the owner wanted. The end result? A freely looping, pirouetting ribbon of light that belies the hard work beneath its surface.

This feature is taken from the January 2021 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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Missing revealed as divers search superyacht that sank in storm off Sicily

ROME — Rescue teams and divers were searching Tuesday for six missing people, including a British tech magnate and a Morgan Stanley boss, after a luxury superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily .

The identity of those still missing emerged after an initial search of the 184-foot sailboat, named the Bayesian, was unsuccessful Monday. The British-flagged tourist vessel had 22 people aboard when it sank because of “a violent storm” off Sicily’s main city, Palermo, around 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) on Monday, the local coast guard said.

Newly released video shows the moment the vessel suddenly sank after being battered by the storm. In the video, the 250-foot mast, which was lit up and lashed by the storm, appears to bend to one side before it disappears and is replaced by darkness.

The grainy images obtained by NBC News and other outlets were recorded on closed-circuit television not far from where the Bayesian was anchored.

Fifteen people were rescued by a boat present in the immediate vicinity and then brought ashore by coast guard vessels, but six passengers, including American, British and Canadian citizens, remained missing, it said. They were believed to be trapped in the boat's hull, some 164 feet underwater, posing a challenge to divers who returned Tuesday to the site off Porticello, near Palermo.

Salvatore Cocina, director of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, told NBC News that the missing include British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife.

Cocina did not specify the nationalities of the missing. He also did not identify Lynch's daughter or the wives of Bloomer and Morvillo.

A spokesperson for Clifford Chance, where Morvillo works as a lawyer, confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that he and his wife, Neda, were among the missing. 

Aki Hussain, chief executive officer of U.K. insurance company Hiscox, where Bloomer is a nonexecutive chairman, confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that Bloomer and his wife, Judy, were missing.

Italy’s national fire department said that its divers were able to get inside the wreck during a late-night dive Monday, inspecting some cabins under the bridge, but were having trouble navigating because of obstructions and narrow access gates. One of those obstructions was reported to have been caused by furniture from the cabins that moved during the storm that struck the ship early Monday.

Rescuers said that there might be bodies inside the cabins, especially considering the timing of the storm, but that they had so far been unable to check through the ship’s portholes.

Divers were forced to work in 12-minute underwater search shifts because of the depth, while surface searches continued in the area of ​​the shipwreck with a helicopter and a fire brigade boat, it added.

Mike Lynch, who was regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” was cleared of fraud charges in a blockbuster U.S. trial earlier this summer. Sources told CNBC on Monday that his wife, Angela Bacares, has been rescued. Italian news agency ANSA identified his daughter, missing alongside her father, as Hannah, 18.

Just days earlier, Lynch's co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being “fatally struck by a car” while out running Saturday, his lawyer Gary Lincenberg said in an emailed statement.

The sailing vacation that ended in tragedy appeared to be something of a celebration after Lynch’s acquittal — Morvillo was one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers and Bloomer testified in his defense.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing,” Hussain, the Hiscox CEO, said in an emailed statement.

A Morgan Stanley spokesperson also said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”

The Eve Appeal, a British cancer charity, described Judy Bloomer in an emailed statement as “a brilliant champion for women’s health and medical research.”

Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it was deploying a team of four inspectors to Palermo to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The coast guard said in a statement Monday that the ship’s cook had died. It did not give his nationality. Reuters identified him as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

One of the survivors, identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35, told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled to safety.

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered, Bayesian can carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

The yacht’s nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters. 

Luca Mercalli, an Italian climatologist and president of the country’s meteorological society, told Reuters that the storm could have involved a waterspout, essentially a tornado over water, or a downburst, a more frequent phenomenon that doesn’t involve the rotation of the air.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat.

“The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is almost 3 degrees more than normal,” Mercalli said. “This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms.”

Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

Bill Gates’s superyacht is in Mallorca and up for sale

One-of-a-kind luxurious support and exploration vessel, facebook boss likes his toys in mallorca, from superyachts to helicopters, mark zuckerberg tried to sneak his new superyacht into palma in secrecy, the kardashians celebrate mallorca holiday with spanish beer.

The Wayfinder moored in Palma. | Julian Aguirre

The superyachts of some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world have begun to arrive in Mallorca and the latest belongs to Bill Gates , who has a stake in the Four Season group which is about to reopen the famous Hotel Formentor near Puerto Pollensa in August. The Wayfinder docked in Palma on Sunday although there has been no sign of its owner.

The Wayfinder is a luxury auxiliary and exploration support vessel that is about 68 metres long and was commissioned by the Galician shipowners’ company Armón in 2021. The yacht may have a simple design on the outside, but contains all kinds of luxuries on the inside. The yacht which was decorated by the Basque firm Oliver Design, contains a Scandinavian theme with bright, open spaces, light oak and colourful touches, which manages to create a timeless and welcoming feel. Although one of its great attractions is the helipad with hangar at the stern of the yacht.

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Even Mark Zuckerberg prefers Instagram over Facebook in Mallorca!

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In fact, she is a treasure trove of toys kitted out with the usual trappings – Jet Skis, water skis, wakeboards, Seabobs and snorkelling equipment – as well as diving equipment located in its dive compressor. She is also capable of carrying five large tenders. And, a fold-down transom reveals a fully equipped gym with direct access to the sea ; images revealing free weights, machines and a punching bag for boxing. Located on the lower deck portside, the fold-out beach club allows guests to work out by the water’s edge with impressive sea views.

However, it is unlikely that the American tycoon will be using her - he has put it up for sale for an estimated 59 million dollars. Several media and specialised portals in this sector have indicated that yacht brokers Edminston is in charge of managing the sale of Wayfinder, which they define as “a boat designed to serve as a support vessel for a mother ship and capable of operating all over the world”. The vessel can accommodate more than 15 crew members, as it has 12 cabins and well as space for 12 guests.

So, anyone looking for a military-inspired, rugged, and very competent catamaran that can be either a shadow vessel to a much larger superyacht or a superyacht on its own can have Wayfinder, as long as they can afford the €55 million asking, which is $59 million at the current exchange rate.

• Hotel Formentor
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• Puerto Pollensa

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Bill Gates preaching to common folk about climate change, useless vaccines and pushing for the world to eat bugs. And has a massive yacht and private jets. Animal Farm springs to mind.

Inside the shocking Sicily yacht tragedy that left 7 people dead

There was a violent storm, but even then, luxury yachts are built to weather such events. so why did this boat sink off the coast of sicily, leaving seven people dead, by natalie finn | e news • published august 24, 2024 • updated on august 24, 2024 at 10:34 am.

Originally appeared on E! Online

Nobody was trying to reach the lowest depths of the ocean or otherwise test the boundaries of human endurance .

📺 Watch News4 now: Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

But what was supposed to be a routine pleasure cruise aboard a superyacht turned deadly all the same on the morning of Aug. 19 when the 184-foot Bayesian got caught in a storm and sank off the coast of Sicily .

"I can't remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that," Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting told NBC News . "You know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size."

Of the 22 people onboard, including crew, seven people died. The last of the bodies was recovered Aug. 23, an expectedly sad coda to what had already been a tragic week as the search for answers as to how this happened got underway.

And to be sure, every minute of the Bayesian's ill-fated outing is being fiercely scrutinized, starting with the general seaworthiness of the vessel itself.

Because, frankly, this was a freak occurrence.

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"Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday," Richter explained. "They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed."

But in this case, a $40 million yacht sank, seven people are dead—including a billionaire tech mogul and his 18-year-old daughter—and morbid fascination doesn't need a second wind.

Here is how the story of the Sicily yacht tragedy has unfolded so far:

What happened to the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily?

The Bayesian had set off from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14 at capacity with 12 guests and 10 crewmembers aboard.

The aluminum-hulled vessel was built in 2008 by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi and registered in the U.K. Cruise sites listed it as available for charter at $215,000 per week, per the Associated Press.

On the morning of Aug. 19, the superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village in the Sicilian province of Palermo (also the name of Sicily's capital city), when a violent storm hit.

The vessel "suddenly sank" at around 5 a.m. local time, seemingly due to "the terrible weather conditions," the City Council of Bagheria announced shortly afterward, per NBC News .

At the time, only one person was confirmed dead—the ship's chef—but six others were said to be missing. The 15 survivors—who managed to make it onto an inflatable life boat, according to emergency officials—were rescued that morning by the crew of another yacht that had been nearby when the storm hit.

"Fifteen people inside," Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the ship that was able to help (the Sir Robert Baden Powell), told reporters afterward, per Reuters. "Four people were injured, three heavily injured, and we brought them to our ship. Then we communicated with the coast guard, and after some time, the coast guard came and later picked up injured people."

When the storm hit, his boat ran into "a strong hurricane gust," Borner said, "and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position."

They "managed to keep the ship in position," he continued, but once the storm died down, they realized the other boat that had been behind them—the Bayesian—was gone.

The wreck ended up settling 165 feet below the surface, according to Italy's national fire department.

Fire officials said that divers, a motorboat and a helicopter were deployed to search for the missing.

Meanwhile, footage was captured of the ship capsizing on closed-circuit TV about a half-mile away from where it was anchored.

In the video obtained by NBC News, the illuminated 250-foot aluminum mast of the ship appears to list severely to one side before disappearing completely. Survivors recalled having just a few minutes to literally abandon ship.

Who were the seven people who died when the yacht Bayesian sank?

The tragedy initially became headline news because billionaire tech mogul Mike Lynch—"Britain's Bill Gates," some U.K. media called him—was among the missing. His body was ultimately recovered Aug. 22 .

"They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there," Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News Aug. 22. "And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes."

Genco said he got to Porticello about an hour after the Bayesian capsized.

Survivors "told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down," he said. "All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries."

Why did the yacht sink?

Italian prosecutors are investigating to determine what transpired before the boat went down, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, the CEO of shipbuilder Perini's parent company The Italian Sea Group defended the vessel itself as "unsinkable."

Perini boats "are the safest in the most absolute sense," Giovanni Costantino told Sky News Aug. 22 . What happened to the Bayesian "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other," he continued. "This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact."

Costantino said it had to have been human error that led to the boat sinking, declaring, "Mistakes were made."

"Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors," he told newspaper Corriere della Sera Aug. 21, in an interview translated from Italian. "The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor."

The weather was "all predictable," he continued, adding that the storm "was fully legible in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored."

The yacht's captain, identified as James Cutfield of New Zealand, was taken to Termini Imerese hospital for treatment. From there, he told La Repubblica, per Sky News , that he didn't see the storm coming.

Borner, the captain of the ship that rescued the 15 Bayesian survivors, told NBC News that he noticed the storm come in at 4 a.m. local time, and saw what looked to him like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms above water.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research posted on X Aug. 19 that it had "confirmed 18 waterspouts today off the coasts of Italy. Some were powerful waterspouts, one of which may have been responsible for the sinking of a large yacht off of Sicily."

Borner said he didn't know why the Bayesian sank so quickly, guessing "it may have something to do with the mast, which was incredibly long." (A tall mast, even with its sails down, means there's more surface area exposed to wind, which can result in tipping.)

Confirming that one person was dead and six unaccounted for immediately following the wreck on Aug. 19, Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency told reporters that a waterspout had struck the area overnight.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

The 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy had been on the trip with his wife Angela Bacares and their 18-year-old, Oxford-bound daughter Hannah to celebrate his recent acquittal in the U.S. on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the $11.7 billion purchase of his company by Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

In a bizarre turn of events, Lynch's co-defendant at trial, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy, died after being taken off life support following a road accident on Aug. 17. Chamberlain's attorney told Reuters Aug. 20 that his friend and client had been out for a run when he was "fatally struck" by a car.

Meanwhile, multiple people who contributed to Lynch's defense were on the cruise with him and his family.

The bodies of Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer—who testified on Lynch's behalf—and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at the U.S. firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda Morvillo, a jewelry designer, were recovered on Aug. 21 .

In a LinkedIn post thanking the team that successfully defended Lynch, Morvillo wrote, per Sky News , "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo. None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…"

The first casualty confirmed Aug. 19 was the ship's Canadian-Antiguan chef, later identified as Recaldo Thomas.

"He was a one-of-a-kind special human being," a friend of Thomas told The Independent . "Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job."

Hannah's body was the last of the missing six to be found , with divers bringing her remains ashore on Aug. 23.

Lynch and Bacares, who was rescued, also shared a 21-year-old daughter, according to The Times.

While awaiting trial, Lynch—who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings—had spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco. Back home in London afterward, he admitted to The Times in July that he'd been afraid of dying in prison if he'd been found guilty. (He faced a possible 25-year sentence.)

"It's bizarre, but now you have a second life," he reflected. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

(E!, NBC News and Sky News are all members of the Comcast family.)

Who is Mike Lynch? The British ‘Bill Gates’ missing after superyacht sinks off Sicily

Once dubbed the British “Bill Gates”, tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among those missing since Monday after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily in a sudden storm.

The sinking came the same day as Lynch’s former close colleague and vice-president of finance at Autonomy, Stephen Chamberlain, also died in a freak coincidence having been hit by a car while out running.

59-year-old Lynch — who was only acquitted weeks ago in the US after facing massive fraud charges — was reportedly with colleagues on board the Bayesian superyacht moored off the coast of Porticello, east of Palermo.

His wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 people rescued, but his daughter Hannah is among the six missing, Salvo Cocina, head of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told AFP.

Who is Mike Lynch?

Originally from Suffolk in east England, Lynch was a former advisor to two British prime ministers and was once a star entrepreneur who seemed to represent a rare tech British success story.

The businessman has a fortune of £500 million ($648 million) according to the latest Sunday Times “Rich List”, and owes his fame to his software firm Autonomy which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.

Lynch was a well-loved and admired tech pioneer, who inspired future generations to start their own companies in the U.K. and beyond.

“Mike was a UK tech leader who had a rare deep understanding of technology and an ability to commercialise it at scale. He found talent, supported that talent and helped them scale,” Brent Hoberman, entrepreneur and founder of Founders Forum and Lastminute.com, told Fortune .

Baroness Joanna Shields, a former managing director at Google and Facebook, told Fortune : “Mike saw possibilities before others could even conceive them — so often proven right as the world caught up with him and his ideas. He was finally free again to dream and invent, making his tragic passing all the more devastating for his family, our industry, and this country.”

Lynch founded Autonomy in 1996 in Cambridge, where he earned his doctorate, and turned it into a leading British tech firm.

But just one year after the mega-deal, HP reported a write-down of $8.8 billion — including more than $5 billion it attributed to inflated data from Autonomy — plunging Lynch and many of his colleagues into a decade-long fraud scandal.

Prosecutors accused him and others of taking part in a massive scheme as Autonomy’s chief executive to deceive HP by pumping up his company’s value before its sale.

Autonomy’s former CFO Sushovan Hussain was found guilty of fraud in 2018 by a US jury, with Hussain jailed for five years.

In the case against Hussain prosecutors said he and his co-conspirators in defrauding HP had “an attitude that, like a James Bond villain or a Mafioso, they were above the law.”

Last year, Lynch was extradited from Britain to the US to stand trial, facing two decades in jail if convicted of the 17 charges and spending the year in house arrest.

But in June he was acquitted on all charges.

“I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said after the verdict was handed down in a San Francisco court.

A bully or a scapegoat?

Lynch — who made around $815 million from the Autonomy sale — always denied the fraud charges, accusing HP of making him a scapegoat for its own failings.

Prosecutors meanwhile had painted the executive as a bully, forcing underlings to help him cook the books of Autonomy and tricking HP into paying billions of dollars.

After returning to the UK, Lynch told The Times in July that he had “various medical things that would have made it difficult to survive” in an American prison.

Speaking about the verdict, Lynch had told the Times: “It’s bizarre, but now you have a second life. The question is, what do you want to do with it?”

Father of two daughters aged 18 and 21, and a dog lover–owning two dachshunds and four sheepdogs–Lynch has a home in the affluent London district of Chelsea, according to the newspaper, as well as owning a farm in Suffolk.

Despite the acquittal, the fraud case is not closed.

In 2022, London’s High Court ruled in a civil fraud case that HP had been duped and had overpaid for Autonomy.

The court has yet to rule on the billions of dollars in damages claimed by the American group.

Darktrace’s woes

The shadow of Lynch’s legal troubles has also long weighed on the share prices of another British company — the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence group Darktrace.

Darktrace was co-founded by Lynch and several Autonomy executives, including the recently deceased Stephen Chamberlain and Autonomy CFO Sushovan Hussain.

At one point half of Darktrace’s board and the majority of its top executives were former Autonomy employees, however, that number has fallen in recent years.

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson has been connected with Lynch since 2009 and previously worked as a corporate controller at HP Autonomy.

In a reversal of fortune, Darktrace accepted a $5.3 billion takeover offer from US private equity firm Thoma Bravo in April, sending its share price soaring.

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In photos: Bill Gates-owned world's first hydrogen megayacht unveiled

5 years in the making, eco-warrior Bill Gates’ hydrogen fuel-cell-powered megayacht is finally ready. A first of its kind in the world, the 373 feet long vessel has stealth balconies that pop out with the press of a button, multiple libraries, fireplaces, a private elevator, and a hospital

Bill Gates’ megayacht is equal parts clean and smart –

The stunning five-decker is a win-win vessel for an eco-conscious billionaire . From being innately clean, it even flaunts an efficient waste heat recovery system. It heats everything from the pool, Jacuzzi, and steam room to the ambient air temperature and towel bars and floors in the guest bathrooms. A Smart AC system includes sensors that automatically reduce air conditioning or heating in unoccupied guest spaces. Talk about a smart superyacht, and it could have only come from the genius of a tech tycoon! Back in 2020, rumor mills went abuzz with reports that Bill Gates pledged well over $600 million to build a 376-foot-long, hydrogen-powered superyacht concept. Guess there is no smoke without fire, and the result is now out of dry dock for all to see.

[All images of the Feadship Project 821 provided by Feadship]

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Bill Gates Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

In 2020 the yachting world was abuzz with news that Bill Gates had bought as stunning and advanced yacht known as Project Aqua. The massive, 370-foot concept yacht was revealed in 2019 at the Monaco Yacht Show and news soon followed that billionaire Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world and the founder of Microsoft, had commissioned the construction of his own hydrogen-powered Aqua. But that never actually happened and, in fact, as near as anyone can tell for real, Bill Gates doesn’t own a yacht at all. 

So where did the story come from? What’s the deal with the Aqua? And hasn’t Bill Gates been pictured on a yacht before? Let’s get some answers.

How Much Did the Aqua Yacht Cost at the Monaco Yacht Show?

According to the stories online, Bill Gates paid $600 million for the hydrogen powered yacht. But that’s not true at all. According to the yacht makers, the Dutch company Sinot, the price tag is $645 million but no one bought it after it was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and that includes Bill Gates. It’s expensive but definitely not the most expensive in the world.

How Fast is the Aqua Yacht?

Aqua is a unique yacht in the yachting world which is why it garnered so much attention in the first place. It’s the first mega yacht that runs on a fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cell system that features two hydrogen engines that can produce 1,341 horsepower. The top speed is 17 knots and  the Aqua has a cruising speed of 12 knots. The total range is 3,750 nautical miles. The liquid hydrogen is stored in two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks where it can be held at -253 degrees C. The only exhaust is water.

What Does the Interior of  the Aqua Yacht Look Like?

The Aqua has 7 suites meant to house up to 14 guests at any given time. Two of those suites are larger VIP cabins. The ceilings throughout are 9 feet and stretch as high as 12.5 feet elsewhere thanks to the luxury Sinot yacht architecture. The vessel has room for a crew of 31 as well. The beach deck lounge aboard the boat alone looks like a luxury hotel space.

The Aqua features a bow observation room which is surrounded by windows to give a panoramic view of the ocean which has been described as the “ultimate superyacht owners lounge.” In addition, there’s a movie theater on the upper deck. It also includes a wellness center with a hydro massage room. You can also do some yoga in a workout space. There’s a fully equipped gym, a beauty salon, and even a hairdresser.

Up on the main deck there’s a luxury swimming pool that even includes a waterfall. One of the yacht’s defining features is the spiral staircase that covers all five decks and is covered by a skylight. On the way up it also offers a view of the interior of the hydrogen fuel tanks so you can see just what 56 tons of ultra cold liquid hydrogen looks like as you move between decks. 

The tender garage has an array of toys such as jet skis while the main deck features a beach club with a dining area designed for all 14 guests and a lounge that converts into the cinema space.

What Yacht Has Bill Gates Actually Been On?

Bill Gates does seem to like yachts, just not enough to spend his money owning one, and that’s fair. Yachts cost millions to maintain every year. No one got rich spending millions to maintain a boat.

That said, Bill Gates has not only vacationed on yachts – he spent his 66th birthday on one – he also got married on a yacht.

In 2021, Gates made the news when he celebrated his 66th on board a luxury yacht called the Lana alongside Jeff Bezos. He spent $2 million to charter the yacht for a week and flew 50 guests out to celebrate with him. 

The Lana is a 351 foot yacht with room for 12 guests and a cruising speed of 12 knots with a max speed of 18 knots. The master suite is 1,184 square feet. The room features his and hers walk-in dressing rooms and a private terrace.

Elsewhere on board you’ll find a piano in the lounge area as well as a full gym for working out. There’s both a sauna and a well-appointed spa as well. On deck you can head to the beach club or take a dip in the pool. 

There are three tenders in the garage alongside a bunch of toys including various jetskis, a seabob, wakeboards, WindSurfers, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and more. 

Back in 2014, Gates rented an even more expensive yacht, the $5 million per week Serene, to go on a vacation with his family. The Serene, once owned by  Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shelfer before being purchased by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, clocked in at a massive 450 feet making it one of the world’s biggest and even had its own on board submarine

The Serene features 7 decks, a saltwater pool, a climbing wall, a surprisingly large library, health spa, outdoor cinema and a nightclub. This is all spread across 48,000 square feet.

It’s also been confirmed that Gates met his wife Melinda on a yacht owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, all the way back in 1994. 

Why Do People Think Bill Gates Owns the Aqua?

It’s easy to see why people may have thought Gates owned the Aqua when you consider a handful of factors. First, as mentioned, we have lots of evidence that Bill Gates really does enjoy luxury yachts. The extremely high price tag was something that only a few people in the world are going to be able to afford and Gates, who doesn’t own a yacht, seems like a likely candidate for those reasons. 

In addition, Gates has spent several years now as a climate activist and has supported a number of green technologies. A yacht that runs on hydrogen seems like something he would support as well. So, with no real evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough to easily convince people. Once it’s presented as fact on the internet, and it was in many articles and videos, few people had reason to question it. 

The Bottom Line

The mega yacht known as the Aqua has a price tag of $645 million and it runs on clan burning hydrogen fuel. The only byproduct of its operation is water, making it a very environmentally friendly yacht. It made waves, so to speak, when it debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. Rumors soon began to spread that billionaire and known climate activist Bill Gates had ordered one for $600 million. However, despite many videos and articles that refer to him as the owner, the truth is no one bought the Aqua at the yacht show and, as of 2023, Bill Gates does not own a yacht at all. He is know to charter extremely luxurious yachts for vacations and parties, such as the Lana and the Serene, but he does not own any just now.

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Private planes, mansions and superyachts: What gives billionaires like Musk and Abramovich such a massive carbon footprint

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Tesla’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have been vying for the world’s richest person ranking all year after the former’s wealth soared a staggering US$160 billion in 2020, putting him briefly in the top spot .

Musk isn’t alone in seeing a significant increase in wealth during a year of pandemic, recession and death. Altogether, the world’s billionaires saw their wealth surge over $1.9 trillion in 2020, according to Forbes.

Those are astronomical numbers, and it’s hard to get one’s head around them without some context. As anthropologists who study energy and consumer culture, we wanted to examine how all that wealth translated into consumption and the resulting carbon footprint.

Walking in a billionaire’s shoes

We found that billionaires have carbon footprints that can be thousands of times higher than those of average Americans.

The wealthy own yachts, planes and multiple mansions, all of which contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. For example, a superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tons of CO2 a year, according to our calculations, making it by the far worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint. Transportation and real estate make up the lion’s share of most people’s carbon footprint, so we focused on calculating those categories for each billionaire.

To pick a sample of billionaires, we started with the 2020 Forbes List of 2,095 billionaires. A random or representatives sample of billionaire carbon footprints is impossible because most wealthy people shy away from publicity , so we had to focus on those whose consumption is public knowledge. This excluded most of the superrich in Asia and the Middle East .

We combed 82 databases of public records to document billionaires’ houses, vehicles, aircraft and yachts. After an exhaustive search, we started with 20 well-known billionaires whose possessions we were able to ascertain, while trying to include some diversity in gender and geography. We have submitted our paper for peer review but plan to continue adding to our list.

We then used a wide range of sources, such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Carbon Footprint , to estimate the annual CO2 emissions of each house, aircraft, vehicle and yacht. In some cases we had to estimate the size of houses from satellite images or photos and the use of private aircraft and yachts by searching the popular press and drawing on other studies . Our results are based on analyzing typical use of each asset given its size and everything else we could learn.

We did not try to calculate each asset’s “ embodied carbon ” emissions – that is, how much CO2 is burned throughout the supply chain in making the product – or the emissions produced by their family, household employees or entourage. We also didn’t include the emissions of companies of which they own part or all, because that would have added another significant degree of complexity. For example, we didn’t calculate the emissions of Tesla or Amazon when calculating Musk’s or Bezos’ footprints.

In other words, these are all likely conservative estimates of how much they emit.

Your carbon footprint

To get a sense of perspective, let’s start with the carbon footprint of the average person.

Residents of the U.S., including billionaires, emitted about 15 tons of CO2 per person in 2018. The global average footprint is smaller, at just about 5 tons per person.

In contrast, the 20 people in our sample contributed an average of about 8,190 tons of CO2 in 2018. But some produced far more greenhouse gases than others.

The jet-setting billionaire

Roman Abramovich, who made most of his $19 billion fortune trading oil and gas, was the biggest polluter on our list. Outside of Russia, he is probably best known as the headline-grabbing owner of London’s Chelsea Football Club.

Abramovich cruises the Mediterranean in his superyacht, named the Eclipse , which at 162.5 meters bow to stern is the second-biggest in the world, rivaling some cruise ships. And he hops the globe on a custom-designed Boeing 767 , which boasts a 30-seat dining room. He takes shorter trips in his Gulfstream G650 jet, one of his two helicopters or the submarine on his yacht.

He maintains homes in many countries, including a mansion in London’s Kensington Park Gardens, a chateau in Cap D’Antibes in France and a 28-hectare estate in St. Barts that once belonged to David Rockefeller . In 2018, he left the U.K. and settled in Israel , where he became a dual citizen and bought a home in 2020 for $64.5 million.

We estimate that he was responsible for at least 33,859 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2018 – more than two-thirds from his yacht, which is always ready to use at a moment’s notice year-round.

Massive mansions and private jets

Bill Gates, currently the world’s fourth-richest person with $124 billion, is a “modest” polluter – by billionaire standards – and is typical of those who may not own a giant yacht but make up for it with private jets.

Co-founder of Microsoft, he retired in 2020 to manage the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charity, with an endowment of $50 billion.

In the 1990s, Gates built Xanadu – named after the vast fictional estate in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” – at a cost of $127 million in Medina, Washington. The giant home covers 6,131 square meters, with a 23-car garage, a 20-person cinema and 24 bathrooms. He also owns at least five other dwellings in Southern California, the San Juan Islands in Washington state, North Salem, New York, and New York City, as well as a horse farm , four private jets, a seaplane and “a collection” of helicopters .

We estimated his annual footprint at 7,493 metric tons of carbon, mostly from a lot of flying.

The environmentally minded tech CEO

South African-born Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has a surprisingly low carbon footprint despite being the world’s second-richest person, with $177 billion – and he seems intent on setting an example for other billionaires .

He doesn’t own a superyacht and says he doesn’t even take vacations .

We calculated a relatively modest carbon footprint for him in 2018, thanks to his eight houses and one private jet. This year, his carbon footprint would be even lower because in 2020 he sold all of his houses and promised to divest the rest of his worldly possessions .

While his personal carbon footprint is still hundreds of times higher than that of an average person, he demonstrates that the superrich still have choices to make and can indeed lower their environmental impact if they so choose.

His estimated footprint from the assets we looked at was 2,084 tons in 2018.

The value of naming and shaming

The aim of our ongoing research is to get people to think about the environmental burden of wealth.

While plenty of research has shown that rich countries and wealthy people produce far more than their share of greenhouse gas emissions, these studies can feel abstract and academic, making it harder to change this behavior.

[ Like what you’ve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter .]

We believe “shaming” – for lack of a better word – superrich people for their energy-intensive spending habits can have an important impact, revealing them as models of overconsumption that people shouldn’t emulate.

Newspapers, cities and local residents made an impact during the California droughts of 2014 and 2015 by “drought shaming” celebrities and others who were wasting water, seen in their continually green lawns . And the Swedes came up with a new term – “ flygskam ” or flying shame – to raise awareness about the climate impact of air travel.

Climate experts say that to have any hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, countries must cut their emissions in half by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050.

Asking average Americans to adopt less carbon-intensive lifestyles to achieve this goal can be galling and ineffective when it would take about 550 of their lifetimes to equal the carbon footprint of the average billionaire on our list.

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Billionaire Bill Gates buys hydrogen-fuelled superyacht for $500 million

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is currently celebrating the engagement of his daughter, Jennifer, to Egyptian showjumper Nayel Nassar, but he's also got another reason to be happy - a brand new superyacht.

The 112-metre luxury vessel is the world's first hydrogen-powered super yacht, and will feature all the usual billionaire mod-cons, including an infinity pool, helipad, spa and gym. There are five decks, with accommodation for 14 guests and 31 crew members - more than two per person.

As well as being powered by liquid hydrogen, another eco-feature are the fire pits, which are actually gel-fuelled fire bowls, designed to keep guests warm outdoors without burning wood or coal.

Costing in the region of $500 million, the Aqua ship was first publicised at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019 by Dutch design firm Sinot. Speaking then, the company's eponymous designer said, 'For the development of Aqua we took inspiration from the lifestyle of a discerning, forward-looking owner, the fluid versatility of water and cutting-edge technology, to combine this in a superyacht with truly innovative features.'

He went on to explain how the hydrogen fuel works, saying: 'AQUA is fuelled by hydrogen, a unique concept which represents a significant progression towards achieving a new balance between nature and technology. The system is based on the use of liquified hydrogen, stored at -253°C in two 28-ton vacuum isolated tanks. The liquified hydrogen is converted into electrical energy by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, with water being the only by-product.'

The Daily Telegraph reports that the ship will be in service from 2024, and will reach speeds of 17 knots. It will be able to travel for 3,750 miles before refuelling but will also have a diesel back-up due to the lack of hydrogen refuelling stations available.

This will be the world's second richest man's first yacht. He has previously rented them for holidays, most recently including the $330m yacht Serene, which he borrowed from Stolichnaya vodka magnate, Yuri Scheffler, to sail around the coast of Sardinia.

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Crew member on board yacht disaster that killed 'British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch describes moment they were 'thrown into water'

Seven people were killed in the sicily yacht disaster.

A crew member on board Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht has opened up on the moment passengers were 'thrown into the water'.

Seven of the 22 passengers and crew on board the 56-metre British-flagged luxury yacht died after the ship sank at around 5.00am local time last week (19 August).

This was after the boat came into contact with a tornado, around half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it went down.

Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and chef Recaldo Thomas all died.

Businessman Lynch - dubbed the 'British Bill Gates' after founding software company Autonomy in 1996 - was cleared of conducting fraud on an $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale to US firm Hewlett Packard.

Engineer Tim Parker Eaton, sailor Matthew Griffith, and the ship’s captain James Cutfield are all under investigation by Italian authorities for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

“The profile of their possible responsibilities is still unclear, as the investigation has just started,” their lawyer Mario Scopesi said.

According to Italian news agency Ansa, Griffiths spoke about what happened on the day.

"I woke up the captain when the wind was at 23 mph. He gave orders to wake everyone else," the outlet quoted Griffiths as saying.

"The ship tilted and we were thrown into the water. Then we managed to get back up and tried to rescue those we could.

"We were walking on the walls [of the boat]. We saved who we could, Cutfield also saved the little girl and her mother," he added, whilst referring to surviving passengers Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter.

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah joined parents on board the sinking ship, including the businessman's wife Angela Bacares who survived.

This comes after Hannah's sister Esme, 21, issued a heartbreaking tribute to her late sibling.

Esme said: "No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.

"She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.

"And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals. She is my little angel, my star."

"Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy," a statement on the family's behalf also added.

"They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue."

Topics:  Bayesian yacht , UK News , World News

Anish is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2024 finalist. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

@ Anish_Vij

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