yacht y et s

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

YYachts Y9 review: new sweet spot of superyachting

• Toby Hodges
• October 20, 2023

The ability to get sailing quickly, easily and enjoyably is what makes the Y9 so appealing, says Toby Hodges after sailing Bella

Product Overview

Time. You may not be able to buy it, but some may be fortunate enough to buy the things that let you use it most efficiently. It was mid afternoon on a sweltering day in late June, Mallorca. I’d just come ashore from the Superyacht Cup Palma . With the rush hour traffic looming, roadworks stifling the city centre and the oppressive heat, there was surely no chance of any meaningful sail on the new Y9 that day, as it was located in Port Adriano, 25km along the coast.

Hitching a ride on Ulli’s (YYachts’s Hans-Ulrich Heisler) unnervingly powerful moped, we weaved through the city, avoided the motorway standstill and tailback and arrived at the Philippe Starck-designed marina within half an hour to be welcomed by Bella ’s crew, ready to depart.

Just 15 minutes later we were out of the marina and hoisting full sail via push buttons in a perfect Force 4 evening breeze. Bella heeled onto her wide powerful lines and we were straight into double figures, sailing at 10 knots in 13.

I was slightly dazzled by it all, and certainly impressed. This is no 25ft daysailer, rather a contemporary superyacht and yet the speed and ease with which we could get sailing with minimal fuss yet maximum pleasure is quite something.

However, this should perhaps come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Michael Schmidt’s background. A veteran racing sailor, his esteemed boatbuilding career is latterly built on making large yachts fun but crucially manageable to sail short-handed.

He saw a gap in the market to create premium yachts in the 70-100ft sector, built in series production to help offer value. His YYachts yard build light and fast carbon sandwich yachts with a ‘keep it simple’ philosophy. They are the creation of top designers, who are tasked with ensuring they look good, sail well, and are easily handled.

A furling padeye for a code sail and bowsprit for a 780m2 gennaker provide options to further increase sail power. Photo: YYachts

The Y9 has a 90ft Bill Tripp-designed modern hull shape with the volume of a 100-footer, and is also available as a Pilot House and a Custom version (which we saw last year in the stunning Prevail with its prominent squared deck house).

Bella launched in time for the Cannes Boat Show last autumn, and as I soon discovered when skipper Iloy Van Berk offered me the wheel, it boasts credible sailing merits: performance, handling and tangible enjoyment on the helm. Yes, this is a comparatively lightweight (55 tonne lightship) performance design for enjoyable, fast sailing, with a lofty mast and formidable sail area. But it’s also a luxury cruising yacht with voluminous tanks, stowage, comfort systems and twin engines.

Not that I could detect drag during our sail. The twin rudders gave assured control, with direct connection to the wheel, and the yacht felt stiff and nicely balanced.

Van Berk and his partner Elvira Estrany run a slick ship and keep Bella ready to go on short notice. Having worked for these owners for seven years, they know what they like and how to be prepared for them. While the Y9 is designed to accommodate four crew, Bella runs with three, which the skipper puts down to Elvira, ‘a superstar’ who cooks, cleans and sails/does deckhand work. “The boat design also allows us to handle it with three people,” he continues. “With the magic trim I can work the sheets. And the gennaker is on a furler – it has to be at 800m2!”

His point was proven when we went to tack… and no-one needed to do anything. It’s a one person affair. I brought the main in a little at the push of a button and the self-tacking jib sorted itself out. The combination of this headsail, a staysail option and a bowsprit that can take a hydraulic furling code sail, helps make such a large yacht easy to handle.

Wide aft sections provide power and volume. A generous sail plan allows for enjoyable sailing in single figure winds, but the Y9 also felt stiff and stable in breeze. The push-button mainsheet is kept clear, led from the bimini arch through the boom. Photo: YYachts

According to designer Bill Tripp, it aids the Y9 to “sail well in blue water in the worst conditions and have light air performance to attract the keenest of sailors.”

When we cracked sheets to a beam reach, our average speed increased to 11.5-12 knots, and we clocked 12.5 in 16-18. Not bad figures for white sails cruising! And then the dolphins joined us to dance with and surf our bow waves. It was that kind of evening: gold standard sailing.

Photo: YYachts

Secrets to simplicity

While we’ve talked about sail handling being key to the Y9’s ease of use, there is also the ease of manoeuvring, which we’ll come to, and the hull stability which help make it inviting for a broad spectrum of sailing experience.

The decks may be wide and flat, but the heel angle remained moderate. “The flared topsides allow for great deck spaces and added stability, a win-win that leads to a better boat,” Tripp explained. “Hull shape is optimised for 15° of heel, which is the most typical when globe-trotting.”

Bella ’s shakedown sail was a delivery trip from the Greifswald yard to Mallorca – in 12 days. That’s an average of over 9 knots or 288 mile days, and includes two stops for swell/supplies/rest! Sustained speeds in the low double figures are what this long powerful shape and generous sail area brings.

So there is pace on tap but it needs to be measured. When the wind reached 15 knots or more, I noted how Van Berk eased the mainsheet. Although Bella has clocked 25 knots before, the skipper says he prefers to keep it below 12 knots otherwise the loads shoot up.

Performance cruising

While the Y9 has a performance hull shape and build, and could well suit superyacht regatta racing, Bella is very much set up for cruising, with the corresponding payload and gear aboard. The twin engines, genset, dual watermakers etc, (as well as solar and hydro renewable energy) gives the yacht multiple power sources and redundancy.

The renewables help allow for a silent ship at night. The twin drives and joystick-controlled thrusters also help offer better manoeuvrability in port and promote motorsailing efficiency. In light breeze Van Berk runs the leeward engine at 1,800rpm (for just one litre of diesel per hour), which creates enough apparent wind to sail at over 9 knots.

The power set up and ease of manoeuvrability all help make for an easy to use yacht.

“Our thought is to also attract new people to the sport and to tug people out of powerboats into something far more interesting,” said Tripp.

Plenty of power and a direct feel on the wheel provides a compelling experience for Toby. Photo: YYachts

Bella ’s owner is a case in point as he previously had a Sunseeker 75 motorboat. Wanting to get into sailing he bought the first Y7 in build (also called Bella , which we sailed in 2019 ), on the understanding YYachts would build him a 90-footer as it scaled up. Despite he and his family having made so many happy memories on the Sunseeker, after just two weeks sailing the Y7 he confided to his skipper that he couldn’t believe he had ever had a powerboat. The owner now particularly likes long daysails, typically 100-200 miles from port to port.

This helps explain the fixed bimini and the shelter that provides to the vast cockpit. It also supports 5kW of solar panels on the roof. The bimini concept came from Van Berk after a scare on the previous Y7 when the skipper was struck in the head and knocked flat by the mainsheet while sailing off Corsica. Hence he lobbied for an arch for the mainsheet on the Y9. “Once we had that, it made sense to go for a hard bimini and the solar panels,” he explained. “It’s super comfortable, I love it.”

The captive mainsheet is led from a single point on the bimini through a Cariboni hydraulic cylinder system in the Park Avenue boom, which not only keeps the mainsheet out of the cockpit and harm’s way, but allows for instant push-button control of the substantial mainsail from either pedestal.

Elsewhere Bella is kept relatively simple on deck with rod rigging for the carbon rig and halyards run neatly through the coachroof to two winches by either wheel.

So what are the downsides? Some may not like the fixed bimini look – but that’s obviously an option, which I consider to be a highly practical one. Solar field apart, sailing in upwards of 30ºC soon makes you seek shelter, while a sprayhood can also connect to the bimini.

Then there are the flat wide decks, which aren’t easy to negotiate in a pitching sea. As mentioned on previous YYachts designs, the expansive aft deck has its merits but it does present a long distance between the wheels or those aft winches that can be unnerving at heel. The majority of the aft deck hinges open to reveal the tender garage, so it would be difficult to install fixed structures on the deck, although there are handles on the pedestal and surrounding the crew companionway.

The dark veneers and Scandi styled interior is finished to a premium quality. Photo: YYachts

This YTender, which we have featured before, deserves another mention as Bella is the first yacht to carry one. The 4.35m carbon composite catamaran weighs just 230kg with a retractable electric drive to allow for beaching. It’s spacious, stable and designed to be the maximum size to fit in a large yacht garage. The YTender’s air tubes can be emptied or filled in just 45 seconds, reducing its beam by 30cm.

Plenty of choice

We’ve also featured the interior of Bella following a tour at its boat show debut, but when I reluctantly passed the helm over I had the chance to revisit below decks at heel where YYachts’ trademark sliding leather handrails came into good use to cross the saloon. It also felt noticeably calm. The yard uses an epoxy layer on the outer skin which it says helps with noise insulation.

‘Soft minimalism’ under sail, where YYachts’ trademark sliding hand rails come in handy in the wide saloon. Photo: YYachts

It also uses a semi-custom production process where the parts are finished outside of the hull, the furniture subcontracted. This helps allow for a variety of layout choices yet a high standard of finish for the price. There are five different layout options for the Y9 including the opposite to Bella ’s, with a full beam master suite aft and crew area and galley forward.

Owners can specify their own interior designers and in Bella ’s case, Norm Architects from Copenhagen were again the choice. The dark and smoked oak styling might seem a little urban to some but is designed to create a retreat, described as soft minimalism. It has the feel of the owner’s previous Y7, while his forward cabin features suede-covered wardrobes and leather panels. Practical features include the rounded fiddles, spacious machinery area and good crew accommodation with private access.

A question of time

Most owners are not typically going to use a superyacht for evening daysails (although YYachts new YBreeze concept is designed around such a mentality), however, our sail showed how achievable that is on the Y9. In an increasingly time-poor world, that could prove invaluable.

As we enjoyed a lovely fetch back towards the marina, still making easy speeds of 9.5-10 knots, I discussed the future cruising plans for Bella with her skipper. They aim to cross the Atlantic this autumn for a Caribbean season, before possibly going through Panama to Galapagos and then on up to Vancouver. The prospect of that latter leg instantly recalled one of my most memorable sails: the same passage on the same size boat by the same designer 20 years ago, when delivering the remarkable carbon ocean cruiser Shaman.

You have to hand it to Mr Tripp, he has a gift for drawing large yachts which are rewarding to sail and devour the miles with ease. Couple that with Schmidt’s boatbuilding knowledge, innovation and the ease of handling that he demands of such craft, and it’s clear to see why ‘Y’ represents the new sweet spot of superyachting.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

2023 Y Yachts Y7

• Ordered by Shipyards & Yacht Brands
• Ordered by Date
• Yacht Designers
• About and Contact
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Tenders & Toys
• Some interesting other sites in the superyacht world

BELLA // Y7 // Y Yachts

Bella is the first unit of the y7 by y/yachts aka michael schmidt yachtbau, delivered to the owner..

The exterior design and naval architecture of the Y7 come from Bill Tripp , who is known for fast sailing yachts. The goal of the development of the 22-meter yacht was to create a fast sailing yacht that can compete at regattas but cruising and living with much comfort.

When there is no wind or the yacht docks in the marina, two 59 kW diesel engines by Nanni and a bow thruster assist. Joystick control makes this very easy.

A tender with a length of 3.45 meter is in the garage aft – a patented crane system integrated into the boom moves the tender into the water.

Interior of BELLA

Norm Architects from Copenhagen have designed the interior. Usually experienced in residential and furniture design, BELLA is the first yacht interior design of the studio.

The Y7 is available in different layouts ; the owner of this unit chose two guest cabins and one crew cabin aft. The owner cabin is at the bow area.

The base price of the Y7 is EUR 1.820.000.

Main Specifications of BELLA

Length Overall

Draft (Minimum)

Draft (Maximum)

Captain Paul Rider shows some details of Y7 BELLA

SHARING IS CARING - THANK YOU!

Blue papillon // royal huisman, video: swan 115 s by nautor’s swan, the massive 81m sea eagle ii // royal huisman, towergate insurance about superyacht costs, yx7 // y yachts, emma // super fast baltic 80 custom, mm751 // malcom mckeon // m2atelier, wallywind150 and 130.

About Publisher

Using a minimum of third party cookies for YouTube, Vimeo and Analytics.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

Google Analytics

672 Wine Club

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Benchmark Wines
• Brian Fox Art
• Disneyland Resort
• Ka La’I Wakiki Beach
• Kalamazoo Grill
• Raffles Hotels & Resorts
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide

This 79-Foot Sailing Yacht Is Pure Scandinavian Minimalism on the Seas

The new sloop is fit for both long-distance cruising and racing., rachel cormack.

Digital Editor

Rachel Cormack's Most Recent Stories

This new catamaran concept was designed to carry your bugatti across the high seas.

• Rolex Unveils the First Authorized History of the Submariner

Meet Spitfire, a New 164-Foot Superyacht Based on a High-Performance Patrol Boat

• Share This Article

YYachts is showing just how versatile its Y8 series is.

Related Stories

• SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Mission Returns Safely to Earth After Its Record-Breaking Flight

The Shipyard That Built the ‘Titanic’ Has Filed for Bankruptcy

The specific client tapped David Thulstrup to bring the interiors to life. The renowned architect and designer takes a holistic approach to projects and weaves in various aspects of his Scandinavian heritage. This particular vessel is distinguished by a palette of warm browns and rich wood that together create a cozy ambiance. The decor is quintessentially Scandi chic, with minimalist fixtures and furnishings. The superstructure is fitted with plenty of windows to ensure an abundance of natural light.

In terms of layout, the newcomer is equipped with fewer bulkheads than its predecessors and is configured a little differently. The crew quarters are located in the stern, while two guest staterooms with en suites sit forward. At the center of the living quarters is a main salon that comprises a lounge with plush sofas and a dining area with a table for up to eight guests. The dining area can also be separated by sliding doors and used as an office.

The exterior of the yacht is arguably more impressive than the interior. It was the handiwork of Javier Jaudenenes and Surge Projects. The duo has designed a myriad of fast cruisers and thus has plenty of experience in engineering for maximum speed. Crafted from carbon, the Y8 features a wider stern than previous models, and her mast is also set further back than others. Jaudenes says a lot of R&D from previous projects has been poured into this design and he is confident that the jib will provide a lot of speed.

“It is an essence of our experience and will be fast, but at the same time very safe under any conditions,” adds Jaudenes.

Click here to see all the photos of the yacht.

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

Read More On:

• Sailing Yacht

More Marine

What It’s Like to Watch an America’s Cup Race Right on the Water

Meet the Wine Club That Thinks Differently.

Receive editor-curated reds from boutique California producers four times a year.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

Spitfire Superyacht in Photos

The AX/E 22 and AX/E 25 in Photos

More from our brands, did statement beauty make its new york fashion week comeback this season, the last manse: jordan’s chicago home finds buyer, karan johar to host indian adaptation of ‘the traitors’ for prime video (exclusive), a new edition of john elderfield’s ‘frankenthaler’ shows an artist with real new york chutzpah, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors.

A selection of yachts you absolutely can't miss

Christina O

Canadian Vickers

Moonlight II

Lürssen Yachts

O'Ptasia

Golden Yachts Ltd.

Your Privacy

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse our traffic and provide personalised marketing. You can choose whether to accept these, or reject all but essential cookies, according to our Cookie Policy .

LET'S CHAT.

Get in touch with one of our teams around the world.

Where you'll find us

Monaco — MC

London — UK

Fort Lauderdale — US

Auckland — NZ

• DISCOVER THE Y7
• DISCOVER THE Y8
• DISCOVER THE Y9
• DISCOVER THE YBREEZE
• DISCOVER THE YCUSTOM
• VISION AND MISSION
• INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMISATION
• BROKERAGE AND CHARTER
• NEWS AND EVENTS

COME SEE US AT THE CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL

10-15 SEPT.

JOIN US AT THE GENOA SALONE NAUTICO

19-24 SEPT.

VISIT US AT THE MONACO YACHT SHOW 2024

25-28 SEPT.

• SPECIFICATIONS
• REQUEST BROCHURE

ESSENCE OF ALL EXPERIENCE

For the Y8, the follow-up model to the first ever YYacht, our design and development team cooperated with Surge Projects. The Mallorcan design studio around Javier Jaudenes has a “knack” for a timelessly elegant design, but also has great experience in designing fast yachts.

In contrast to the previous Y8, the new model has a wider stern, so that in combination with the mast set further back, Javier Jaudenes attests to the high speed potential of his design: “A lot of R&D results from earlier projects have gone into the Y8. It is an essence of our experience and will be fast, but at the same time very safe under any conditions. The new Y8 is a lot of fun. I would describe her as a good-mood yacht.

Of course, the new Y8 also offers the innovative standard YYachts are accustomed to – such as the transverse garage in the stern, the self-tacking jib, the separate crew access in the cockpit or the flat deckhouse, whose optimally placed windows prevent the yacht from heating up too much.

By the way, the interior volume of the yacht is 20 percent larger than that of her predecessors “Cool Breeze”, “Makai” or “Vegas Baby” – this results in many different layout options. And by moving the engine room under the saloon floor, the yacht has a lower centre of gravity and thus a better balance, which results in additional speed.

Discover YYachts unparalleled performance and simplicity

Lightweight Carbon Construction

YYachts’ innovative use of lightweight carbon construction offers unparalleled advantages. Sail swiftly even in light winds thanks to the reduced weight, which also lowers the loads on the mast and deck fittings. This design allows for easier handling by a short-handed crew, ensuring a seamless sailing experience.

Keep it Simple

At YYachts, we believe in simplicity. By minimizing equipment to only the essentials required on board, we reduce complexity, decrease the likelihood of malfunctions, and minimize necessary maintenance. This approach results in a yacht that is understandable and manageable for the owner, tailored specifically to their needs.

Full 3D Engineering

Our full 3D engineering encompasses not only the interior but also each module, which is equipped with its own technology and wiring harness. These modules are seamlessly integrated into the yacht’s backbone, ensuring systematic and clear engineering. This method guarantees transparent technical layouts and 100% accuracy during assembly.

Individual Customization

Each YYacht is uniquely crafted to meet the specific desires of its owner. Thanks to our modular interior design, individual modules can be precisely tailored to customer preferences. This ensures that no two yachts are exactly the same, providing a truly bespoke sailing experience.

Experience the perfect blend of performance, simplicity, and personalization with YYachts.

Y8 EXTERIOR

The current Y8 is a perfect blend of cruising and racing yacht. Surge Projects, together with YYachts, developed a fast and equally safe yacht that is suitable for both family holidays and racing.

HARMONIOUS, INDIVIDUAL AND FLOODED WITH LIGHT

The interior of a Y8 can be individually designed for each owner. With its soft edges and coachroof, and flooded with natural light, the Y8 has a relaxing atmosphere.

YOUR Y8. YOUR LAYOUT

There are numerous options for a layout of a Y8 below deck. With the available options the Y8 can flexibly adapt to your requirements, with the possibility to divide the front and rear living areas. With this division implemented, the crews’ cabins, the navigation station, and the galley of the yacht are then located in the stern. This is the ideal layout to maximize privacy and remains undisturbed by the crew. With two cockpit solutions, variable headroom, and an interior that can be fully adapted to the customer, Y8 is a sailing yacht which is as individual as its future owner. A large dinghy garage with a transversal storage of the tender is a feature nearly all YYachts share so far. With state-of-the-art technology, the yacht can be handled even by a couple or with very small crew. The Y8 is one of the most customizable yachts in the 25 metre range providing speed, design, comfort and ease to use.

STANDARD LAYOUT

Custom layout 1

Central entrance Y8 custom

Y8 PERFORMANCE YACHT SPECIFICATIONS

• Length over all (LOA) 23.99 m (80 foot)
• Bow Sprit Extension 25.99 m
• Length Waterline (LWL) 22.13 m
• Draft (fixed keel) 4.30 m
• optional fixed keel 3.70 m
• Beam 6.58 m
• Displacement (Light ship) approx. 38.50 t
• Ballast (fixed) approx. 12.90 t
• Ballast (telescopic) approx. 12.50 t
• Ballast (shallow draft) approx. 13.80 t
• Engine 1 Yanmar 4LV195; 143 kW
• Fuel Tank Capacity ca. 1300 l
• Fresh Water Tank Capacity ca. 1300 l
• Black Water Tank Capacity ca. 320 l
• Mainsail Area approx. 179 m²
• Self-tacking jib Area approx. 146 m²
• Code 0 Area approx. 245 m²
• Gennaker Area approx. 517 m²
• Naval Architect Surge Projects by Janvier Jaudenes
• Interior-Design David Thulstrup and YYachts Design Team
• Yard YYachts GmbH

DISCOVER MORE

For a brochure please leave your details and we’ll get back to you shortly.

BROCHURE Y8

Call back request

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy

Latest news directly in your inbox.

I have read and accept the Legal Notice & Privacy Policy.

Data controller: YYachts GmbH. Purpose: Answer questions or queries and send requested information. Legitimation: Consent. Third parties: They will not be transferred to third parties. Rights: Access, rectification or deletion, limitation of treatment, opposition to treatment and portability. Additional information: You can consult additional and detailed information on Data Protection in our Legal Notice & Privacy Policy

• SALES & SERVICE
• DATA PROTECTION

Tech by Blaze Media

The 5 most suspicious things about tech billionaire Mike Lynch’s capsized yacht

Bankers on board, fraud accusations, and unsinkable ships make the bayesian one of the most peculiar stories of the year..

On August 19, tech billionaire Mike Lynch died when his yacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after encountering a violent storm.

That same day, miles away in an English village near Cambridge, Stephen Chamberlain, Lynch’s business partner, was hit by a car while jogging and later died.

Lynch and Chamberlain were cleared of fraud charges in the same trial just a month earlier, stemming from the 2011 sale of Autonomy, Lynch’s machine learning data analysis company, to Hewlett-Packard.

The mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths, combined with the sheer status of those on board the yacht, have sparked worldwide controversy and suspicion.

Taking a deeper dive into some of the popular points of intrigue, here are the most peculiar points about the curious story of Lynch’s death.

The unsinkable ship

The story almost writes itself: Like the Titanic , the unsinkable ship … sinks.

Lynch’s 56-meter luxury yacht, named Bayesian , was built by Italian company Perini Navi, a subsidiary of the Italian Sea Group.

The Italian Sea Group has declared the sailing ships to be “unsinkable bodies.”

'We didn’t see it coming.'

However, the claims of the group’s CEO, Giovanni Costantino, go much farther than that. Costantino went so far as to say that the incident “sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact.”

"Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats], I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built," he continued, per Sky News . "And as Perini is a sailing ship ... sailing ships are renowned to be the safest ever."

This sounds exactly what a boat manufacturer would say about his product, but to sink that fast, most have surmised, including Costantino, the vessel likely would have had to have taken on water at an alarming rate in order to sink.

Bad weather or bad captain?

“The Bayesian was a model for many other vessels because of its stability and exceptionally high performance,” Costantino told the BBC . “There was absolutely no problem with it.”

That is, of course, unless something went horribly wrong.

Costantino’s remarks seemed to place the onus on the ship’s captain, James Cutfield of New Zealand.

The manufacturer said that before approaching the storm, the captain should have closed every opening, lifted anchor, turned on the engine, and pointed into the wind.

This would have stabilized the vessel, and the ship would have cruised through the storm in “comfort,” he added.

But Costantino said that there must have been a hatch or side entrance left open for water to have surged inside.

Spotlights have since been focused on Cutfield, who survived the ordeal along with his crew and certain passengers. While the six most notable passengers all died, survivors include Charlotte Golunski, a co-founder with Lynch of the venture capital firm Invoke Capital, funded by the proceeds from Autonomy’s sale, and Golunski’s 1-month-old daughter.

“We didn’t see it coming,” Cutfield told the media. It was an interesting statement, since others definitely saw the storm coming.

The storm in question was described by local authorities first as a waterspout, or mini-tornado, but later changed to a downburst, a weather phenomenon that includes powerful downdrafts during a thunderstorm. The downburst results in damaging winds that spread in every direction.

Costantino noted that there was another sailing vessel just 492 feet from the Bayesian that suffered no damage.

The Sir Robert Baden Powell , a Dutch ship built in 1957, somehow weathered the same storm that Lynch’s modern yacht couldn’t.

“A ship from those years cannot have the technology of the Bayesian ,” Costantino said. “Yet that ship did not suffer damage. Its crew had prepared it well to face the storm. They even managed to provide assistance to the Bayesian .”

Costantino then pointed to local fishermen, implying that others were more cautious of the weather that day than Lynch’s crew was.

One of those fishermen, Matteo Cannia, told the BBC he saw flashes of lightning and heard thunder and wind and thus decided to go home.

Another fisherman, Fabio Cefalu, had also planned to go out that morning but decided against it due to the weather conditions. He actually went out to sea in a rescue attempt when the Bayesian shot up a flare.

While prosecutors said they believed one person was on watch in the Bayesian’s cockpit that night, a ship surveyor told the BBC that two crew members should have been taking turns on watch due to the storm warnings.

These mysterious events resulted in state prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio telling reporters that there were many possible culpabilities, but it could “just be the captain,” or it “could be the whole crew.”

The banker on board

Among the deceased was Morgan Stanley Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judith.

According to Sky News , the 70-year-old and his wife were on the boat to celebrate Lynch's aforementioned court victory.

The trial was regarding Lynch’s software company Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion. Though it took less than a year for HP to write down over $8 billion of Autonomy’s value, fraud scandals from the sale took years to surface, culminating in Autonomy’s CFO Sushovan Hussain being found guilty of fraud in 2018.

Lynch and Chamberlain, Autonomy’s VP of finance, faced more than a dozen charges in the trial but were acquitted in the summer of 2024. Read more on Autonomy here .

Bloomer was a defense witness in that trial, the Independent wrote , adding that he was also the chairman of Autonomy’s audit committee during its sale to HP.

Lynch’s lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda, also died on the yacht.

Chamberlain died the same day

In a shocking coincidence, Lynch’s colleague Chamberlain was struck by a car and hospitalized while jogging in Cambridgeshire, England.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. the same day as the boating wreck, which happened just hours earlier.

The 52-year-old was running when he was hit by a Vauxhall Corsa driven by a 49-year-old woman, in an area where the speed limit is 60 miles per hour.

The coroner stated that a vehicle was “presented with a runner crossing the road” between two parts of a bridleway, the Telegraph reported. The car caused “significant injuries” to Chamberlain, who later died in hospital from a “traumatic head injury” after being placed on life support.

Police appealed for witnesses, but none came forward. The woman driving the car reportedly remained at the scene and was allegedly giving assistance to Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was also using a fitness app that tracked his movements. Police were able to pinpoint that he had been running for about six miles before he was hit and that his route was plotted out in advance.

Chamberlain was also reportedly still on “administrative leave” due to his trial from company Darktrace, of which he was the CEO.

Darktrace’s intelligence ties

After Autonomy’s controversial sale to HP, Lynch started a venture capital firm, Invoke Capital. His first big investment was in cyber intelligence firm Darktrace.

“Darktrace wasn’t just an investment; team members from Invoke Capital who have intelligence ties, along with other unnamed intelligence professionals, were heavily involved,” Return’s James Poulos said.

According to the Daily Mail , Chamberlain and other Darktrace executives had deep ties to both U.S. and U.K. intelligence.

'A combination of maths from Cambridge with the credibility of GCHQ and MI5 is unmatched.'

Co-founder Stephen Huxter was a senior member of MI5’s cyber defense team. Huxter also installed Andrew France as chief executive at Darktrace, a former U.K. Government Communications Headquarters operative.

Also, two high-ranking intelligence executives from opposite sides of the pond were reportedly on Darktrace’s board: ex-MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans and the NSA’s Jim Penrose, who rose to the rank of defense intelligence senior level.

Penrose was also Darktrace’s executive vice president of cyber intelligence.

Darktrace wasn’t exactly hiding these connections and even boasted of its intelligence ties in a 2015 Wired interview.

"A combination of maths from Cambridge with the credibility of GCHQ and MI5 is unmatched," said Nicole Eagan, who was the Darktrace CEO after France.

As questions arose about Darktrace, the company was eventually accused of manipulating sales numbers, misrepresenting revenue, and mismanaging expenses. The accusations mirrored those against Autonomy during its sale to HP.

Darktrace’s shares subsequently plunged by more than 17%.

Venture capital firm Quintessential Capital Management even issued a 70-page report that concluded with a statement about being "deeply skeptical" about the "validity of Darktrace's financial statements."

Darktrace replied by saying the company had "rigorous controls in place."

After years of up-and-down stock prices, Darktrace soared 24% thanks to its artificial intelligence-backed products. In April 2024, the cyber industry-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which is the largest stockholder in the NASDAQ stock exchange, purchased the company for $5.3 billion, a deal that will go through notwithstanding the controversy and fallout surrounding the Lynch saga.

From the onset of his career, Lynch has been suspected of having ties to national security agencies. His first company, called Cambridge Neurodynamics, specialized in computer-based fingerprint recognition.

Lynch revealed to Wired in 2002 that he had done work with British intelligence through Cambridge Neurodynamics, stating that "they have the most interesting problems.”

Since Lynch's death, HP has decided to move forward with legal proceedings against his estate. As Reuters reported, HP has filed the lawsuit against Lynch and the aforementioned CFO Hussain.

HP is seeking more than $4 billion in damages.

Want to leave a tip?

Andrew Chapados

more stories

Why debates no longer matter in america’s spiritual and political battle, nasa strands astronauts at an astronomical cost, screens aren't all bad: how facetime helps me stay close to my kids, get the stories that matter most delivered directly to your inbox..