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• Marina Guide | Ocean Yacht Marina

Ocean Yacht Marina, situated in the heart of Portsmouth, Virginia, stands as a beacon for boaters seeking a coastal experience along the scenic shores of the Elizabeth River. Our marina offers ample dockage with modern amenities, including power, water hookups, and a fuel dock, ensuring a convenient and comfortable stay for all guests.

One of the defining features of Ocean Yacht Marina is our knowledgeable and friendly team members who are on hand, ready to assist boaters with docking, provisioning, and any other needs that may arise during their visit. Whether it’s offering local navigation tips, arranging for maintenance services, or providing recommendations for nearby attractions and dining options, the staff goes above and beyond to ensure a memorable and enjoyable experience for boaters.

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Ocean Yacht Marina

Play in the heart of downtown baltimore, marina info.

Boaters appreciate Ocean Marine's prime location 1/2 mile south of Mile Marker Zero on the Intracoastal Waterway, and its unrestricted access from sea. The Marina consists of 122 all-floating slips accommodating boats to 65' as well as 1500' of alongside dockage for larger (mega) yachts. All slips have water, telephone and cable television, and electricity hook-ups. Wireless Internet Service is also available. Restrooms, Showers, Laundry Room and Ship Store are located in the Dockmaster Building. Upon check in, you will receive a welcome package containing information about local shops, restaurants, pubs, museums and scheduled events on the downtown waterfront, all within walking distance of Ocean Marine Yacht Center.

2024 Rates $2.00/ft plus electric

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Summer: Mon - Sun07:30 am - 07:00 pmWinter: Mon - Sun08:00 am - 05:00 pm

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OCEAN YACHT MARINA

Float on in and dock your boat and enjoy the day in the virginia sun. reserve a wet or transient slip today, deep-water access to mile marker zero, docks accommodate power & sailing yachts for slip & transient customers., view amenities, stay in touch with ocean yacht marina updates and news around the marina delivered straight to your inbox.

About Ocean Yacht Marina

Historic jewel.

Ocean Yacht Marina is nestled in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. After undergoing extensive restorations, the historic seaport town has become a prime entertainment hub with a restored art deco theater, numerous history museums, and yearly events such as “The Olde Town Ghost Walk” and the beautiful “Winter Wonderland”. For those who prefer to take it easy, the Elizabeth River Boardwalk and Seawall are excellent opportunities to enjoy amazing weather while indulging in breath-taking views of the water.

Interested in staying at our marina for a night or weekend?

CLIENT REVIEWS

“ Staff is awesome. Helpful, responsive and pleasant! Clean restrooms, fancy and clean and spacious. Close to High St's good restaurants and the nostalgic Commodore Theatre. ” Lili Hudson

“ Great marina and conveniently located near most places we want to visit by boat. ” Loryn Duncan-Marcil

“ Best Marina in Virginia, Top notch management. Great staff. Great place to store your boat or get repairs done. ” Robert Morrissette

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OCEAN YACHT MARINA 1 CRAWFORD CIR PORTSMOUTH, VA 23704

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Opinion on Ocean Yachts?

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ASK 100 PEOPLE WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT A 2004 27 FT. BAYLINER AND PROBABLY 1/2 OF THEM WILL SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS BUILT JUNK.FOR A GUESS OF AT LEAST 6 YEARS BAYLINER HAS BEEN BUILT BUY BRUNSWICK,THE LARGEST BUILDER OF BOATS IN THE WORLD.I THINK BAYLINER STARTED TO FIX A LOT OF THERE PROBLEMS IN THE EARLY 90'S BEFORE BRUNSWICK AND THAT IS WHEN BRUNSWICK BECAME INTERESTED.WE HAD A 23'BAYLINER 1991 OR 2 TROPHY WITH 2 125hp FORCE FOR TWO YEARS IT WAS GREAT AND WE TRADED TO A 25' 94 TROPHY THAT WAS GREAT WE HAD THAT 2 YEARS THEN MOVED UP.MY POINT IN THE VERY BEGINNING OCEAN HAD SOME PROBLEMS,DO YOU THINK THEY JUST LEFT THEM ALONE?? THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT OF BISSNESS YEARS AGO IF THEY DID. THERE ARE A FAIR AMMOUNT OF TOURNEY WINNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEY.AFTER THE MUFF-DIVER SANK PEOPLE USED THAT AS AN EXAMPLE OF OCEAN'S BEING NO GOOD.YET EVERYTHING POINT THAT IT WAS A FREEK LARGE PIECE OF ROPE THAT SANK THEM IN CALM WATER.TH E MUFF-DIVER WAS A 84 OR 86 OCEAN RUN BY ONE OF THE BETTER CAPTAINS OUT OF OC MD. HE BOUGHT ANOTHER SLIGHTLY BIGGER OCEAN AND I THINK HE IS STILL RUNNING IT TODAY.ARE THEY A VIKE NO BUT I DON'T THINK THEY ARE JUNKK EITHER.WE HAVE A FEW OCEAN OWNERS ON HERE AND MAYBE THEY WILL POST ON HERE.  

Oh boy, looks like another doozy, Ok, here is my take on the Ocean Yachts. I will do the glass is half full approach. They have succesfully built boats since 1980, and their customer base for the most part, are repeat buyers. The nitch for these boats is truely out there, not everyone has Viking or Custom boat money. Most of everything you find on an Ocean Yacht, is top of the line components, like motors, interiors, set-ups, etc. They have always been fast, for the most part, comfortable fishing boats. From 1984 to 1992 I have been captain of every model over 42' some off the top of my head, 44' 46' 48' 55' 57' 63' and in 1992 a 42'. I won plenty of times with these boats against the biggest and the best of competition here on the East Coast and Bahamas. So they are serious fishing boats. So with that in mind, if you want to get in the action, at a price you can afford, and compete with the best of them, Ocean Yacht does the job. Have there been problems - yes there have been, I also think Ocean Yachts, for the most part, has stood firmly behind their products, and have worked hard to make themselves better at manufacturing these boats. As with these and all boats, you have to learn and understand the inherent problems an older vessel will have, and deal with them accordingly. I want to finish my post with one last thought, please don't turn this into an Ocean Yacht bashing contest, please. Dr. Mike, a 1990 boat has a lot of water under its bow at this point. My first question would be, how well did the owner of this vessel take care of her? I am sure this vessel will take a repair and be in service another 16 years. Captn Joe [ 01-14-2006, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: Captn Joe ]  

I have run several Ocean yachts over the years and they are sound, well made boats that serve well either fishing or just kickin bacK!  

They are a basic good boat. I've fished one for years, I've also fished Viking, Hatteras, Bertram, Trojan, Post.etc. Ocean is not at the top of the list, but then again, it doesn 't cost like the top of the list.  

Phil from the little debbie runs a 55 Ocean. She's always run smooth as glass when I've been on her.  

This is second hand information, however, I talked with a salvage diver who worked for the coast guard and he said the ONLY (his words) boats he got called in to patch during heavy weather so they could make it back was Ocean Yachts. Apparently he said the hulls woudl split while getting pounded in a good sea. I fished a tournament on a 55 Ocean in 8-12 foot seas when only 4 boats left the dock on day one and it was OK, but they sure are pretty, and quick  

Blisters are not a structural defect, and they are not caused or prevented by the relative structural rigidity of the hull. If you look around, you will find that that most brands (including Bertrams, Blackfins, etc.) have had blister problems on some of their boats. Not every boat, but if you get one that absorbs some water, you gotta get it fixed. Fix it right and it's a one time fix. The best way to avoid unexpected boating expenses is to not have a boat. [ 01-14-2006, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: algillen ]  

Over the past 15 years we have owned 7 Ocean Yachts a 1985 46', 1986 46',1988 48',1989 48',1989 44',1995 48' and currently a 1997 48'. We have never had blisters on any of them. For the money an Ocean Yacht is the best production boat you can buy. You get great accomodations and speed for half the price of a Viking. The ride may not be as good as some other production boats but an Ocean Yacht will always get you home no matter how crappy it gets. [ 01-14-2006, 05:00 PM: Message edited by: ANDY L ]  

I worked for Viking and they use solid glass from the water line down and balsa up past the water line. I think what happened maybe the glass under the water line devolped stress cracks in the glass and water had found it's way to the balsa core like what was said above.That's if they use balsa below the water line.  

Originally posted by algillen: The best way to avoid unexpected boating expenses is to not have a boat. Click to expand...

the fact that ocean yachts are all over the world and found fishing in every big game tourney on the planet speaks for the product. It is not fair to judge an entire company based on one story. maybe they are not for everyone, but stand at the weigh stations next time and count how many come backing down to weigh a fish.  

Although I haven't owned or ridden in one I think they are the perfect combination for the family and fishing trips. I really doubt moving up is in the near future but I would certainly consider Ocean Yachts. They are everywhere, factory is local (for me at least) and the interiors really are sharp. Could be a major plus in selling the wife on a bigger boat. --JK  

Have run a 1985 38 for a few years - solid boat. Yes she has had her fair share of problems; blisters, leaky salon windows... but she has gotten me home every trip. Stop by I'm on E dock Seaview Harbor, come to think about it you may want to wait until April- 5" of snow this morning, and I'll show her off. Don't buy into the flexible flyer crap - old problem. Do your research and feel free to email any questions you have - you will get an honest answer here. Good luck  

I had a 1982-42'. Bought it used in 83. Had that boat from the Bahamas to Newport RI. Been in some heavy weather (up to 18') and never had a problem getting home. I did have a delamination problem on both sides of the keel that came up in 84. Ocean had the boat hauled and sent a couple of guys from the factory to repair at n/c. Never had a problem after that. Had the boat about 8 years. Also never had a blister problem.  

I've only fished on one Ocea Yacht- the Little Debbie - I think she is a beautiful boat!!!!!!!  

I know I guy who owned a early 46 in Tuckerton. He had most of the same problems that were listed here. He sold the boat and always talks about buying another one. He always said though, he got what he paid for. [ 01-15-2006, 03:27 PM: Message edited by: Fishin4ever ]  

We'll have a new 42 Ocean at the AC Boat Show. This is a brand new model for 2006. Come by and take a look first hand. I think most will be impressed. Ask for me when you get there. Brian  

I've fished on a few Oceans they're decent boats far from the top of the list of best boats out there. I did see one sink in I believe it was 1991 it was around 42' 5-7' sea's and it wasn't from hitting anything. I believe the owner boat a Vikeing with the insurance check.  

bEING THE OWNER OF A 55' OCEAN YACHT, AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN A SLEW OF OTHER BOATS INCLUDING A 47 AND 55 VIKING, THE OCEAN IS AN OUTSTANDING BOAT, DOES RIDE LIKE A VIKING PRETTY DARN CLOSE, BUT THE VIKING HAS HER BEAT IN WEIGHT HANDS DOWN. ABOUT BLISTER PROBLEMS, THE PREVIOUS OWNER OF MY BOAT WAS A FANATIC, HE SAW A FEW BLISTERS STARTING AND HAD THE BOTTOM RE-DONE COMPLETELY. DO I THINK THAT IS A DESIGN FLAW, NO. I NEVER HAD BLISTERS ON MY 1973 36' HATT., BUT I HEARD HORROR STORIES ON OTHER 73' HATTS. I THINK THE BLISTER PROBLEM STEMS FROM AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE WATER, THE PREP THAT WAS TAKEN ON THE GLASS WHEN IT WAS LAYED, WHO LAYED THE GLASS, THE HUMIDITY, THE PREP OR A HOST OF OTHER THINGS. IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS WE DO ALOT OF FIBERGLASS DECKS, AND MOST DO NOT BLISTER, BUT SOME DO, WHY WHO KNOWS BUT I THINK IT IS USUALLY ATTRIBUTED TO ONE OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED. THE BOTTOM LINE, IS ALL BOATS CAN DELVELOP BLISTERS AND I DON'T THINK A BOTTOM THAT DEVELOPS BLISTERS IS NECESSARILY A BAD BOAT.  

I am the owner and operator of Mega Bite 2, it is a 1979 ocean yachts 40SS. This boat is in the "flexible fyler" time period, and i'll tell ya; WHAT A BUNCH OF BS! The boat is solid as a rock with no blisters and a good design, some of the boats did have some tabbing issues but ocean recalled those ones and were fixed. As far as blisters go, that is purley a matinence thing, if the boat sits in water and the guy uses cheap bottom paint and hasnt put a barrier coat on, that is the reason for the blisters. Ocean is a highly reputable builder started by the long time boat building family the leeks. They have put a great combination of style performance and economy into a sweet package that no ocean yachts owner can deny. About that boat sinking, EVERY BOAT THAT SIZE CAN SINK, AND ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN. Hope it helped, G.S. Mega Bite 2, Bouns Check, and The Grady  

i heard that in following seas the boat tends to be sloppy? i have seen a few in the yards and it looks like the keel kinda ends and it flattens out from the shaft outlet to the stern. Is that a real concern when the boat slides down a wave face.  

Reel Force - Following sea performance varies by model. Some were better than others. Current models are actually darn good and carry a lot of deadrise to the transom.  

The older Ocean Yachts did have a problem in following seas due to the flat stern but they corrected the problem when they came out with the "New Generation" hulls in 1990. [ 01-22-2006, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: ANDY L ]  

I have fished the canyons in some real crap and had Ocean's right next to me and they handled the seas as well as our boat. I think the rep they have is way over kill and I certainly would not be embrassed to own one. They will get you out and back with the best of the offshore boats in their class and save you quite a bit of money versus the high end battle wagons. I have known some Ocean owners that did have the blister problems and Ocean stood by these customers and repaired the problems even after the boats were over 10 year old. One thing is no new boat is cheap these days and that label pertains to all offshore boats when bought new. I would not put Ocean near the top of my personal list of top end offshore boats but I think you get a lot of boat for your money. I know a whole bunch of charter capts from MD to Florida that would disagree with this but I like Oceans and would fish on one any day. Our new 55 Carolina Custom will cost probably 1 million dollars less than a new Ocean of the comparable size but it takes every bit of almost two years to get one built. Capt John  

Dr. Mike, any boat has it's problems, to give you an idea, some new 48 Vikings have the engines laying on the hull. They are now revising the layout and are raising the engines on about 6 of them as i speak. By the way they were delivered before they found out about the problem. Talk about quality control.  

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julio008 New Member

Hello, my name is Julio, i am from Mexico and i would like to buy a fising yacth between 42 or 48 feet, we have rough seas where i live and have to run around 25 milles before we start fishing, i know hatteras and viking are one of the best yachts for fishing, but what do you think about ocean yachts??. Can you help me to decide what brand of yacht shold i buy??. (I am looking for a convertible model) THANKS, julio008

NYCAP123 Senior Member

julio008 said: Hello, my name is Julio, i am from Mexico and i would like to buy a fising yacth between 42 or 48 feet, we have rough seas where i live and have to run around 25 milles before we start fishing, i know hatteras and viking are one of the best yachts for fishing, but what do you think about ocean yachts??. Can you help me to decide what brand of yacht shold i buy??. (I am looking for a convertible model) THANKS, julio008 Click to expand...

Tank you, i would use it in Tampico Mexico, that is located in the golf of mexico 250 miles down from south padre island, i don`t know what to buy jet, i have many options and want to choose the best one, i am between, and Ocean, Riviera or Lhurs, what do you think navegates better??. Thanks, for taking your time on helping me out. Regards, Julio

CaptainMoto New Member

Have you looked at Mikelson? They are in San Diego and have a great reputation in your part of the world.

I am on the east side, and are looking for something to do some marlin fishing.

Capt J Senior Member

julio008 said: I am on the east side, and are looking for something to do some marlin fishing. Click to expand...

Capt J said: Oceans are a lot of boat for the money. But they are an average built boat for average seas. I would not even consider a Luhrs. Riviera's are ok. I would honestly look for a used Cabo, or Viking or Hatteras if it were me...... Click to expand...

Julio, I agree with the Capt J and NYCAP123 but don't miss the opportunity to look at a Mikelson. They make a 43 that has the space and ride of many 50s with lots of unique design features by Tom Fexas. Not too many on the East coast but there are several fishing out of California and Mexico.

What do you think about egg harbor are the ass good as ocean and riviera???

sorry but i want to make the best decicion, what about silverston yachts?? tanks,

julio008 said: What do you think about egg harbor are the ass good as ocean and riviera??? Click to expand...

Manny Senior Member

a Bertram 42' would be a very good option as well.

i like bertram, the problem is that all of them comes with volvo engines, and we don`t have dealer down here, so i`d rather stay with cummins or caterpilar.

I beg to differ. There are 2 42' Bertrams here in PR with Detroits. Not sure if you would want one with detroits, but they're better than volvo's in any case.

i all ready saw them but i`am looking something around 2005

simmikie New Member

julio, i guess i'll be the lightening rod. you appear (to Me) to be resisting the very advise you had asked for. is there a reason you appear to be hesitant (to me) to look in the Cabo or Viking direction? just don't want to see you work against yourself, and make a purchase that is not best suited for you. Mike

simmikie said: julio, i guess i'll be the lightening rod. you appear (to Me) to be resisting the very advise you had asked for. is there a reason you appear to be hesitant (to me) to look in the Cabo or Viking direction? just don't want to see you work against yourself, and make a purchase that is not best suited for you. Mike Click to expand...

capttommy Guest

Stick to the Ocean Yacht in your price range Of all the boats you mentioned, the newer Ocean Yachts are a good choice. Older Ocean yachts had a lot of problems including many of the handling problems you have heard here. The newer ones are much better. I am currently running a 54' and in the process of helping someone buy a 50' which I was very impressed with . we sea trialed it in 3-6' seas and ran 25 knots + right into it. However, we drifted side to and it rolled pretty badly. As long as we kept moving it handled very well. (I have run at least 7 diffferent older models of Oceans as well). Keep in mind, Ocean is not as strong a quality as Viking Bertram Hatteras, but for the money you get a lot of boat. Capt Jay loves his Cabos but I have run 2 31', a 35' and 2 45' Cabos and I would not let any of my customers who fish rough water buy them. They are very hard riding and extremely wet although well built.

capttommy said: Of all the boats you mentioned, the newer Ocean Yachts are a good choice. Older Ocean yachts had a lot of problems including many of the handling problems you have heard here. The newer ones are much better. I am currently running a 54' and in the process of helping someone buy a 50' which I was very impressed with . we sea trialed it in 3-6' seas and ran 25 knots + right into it. However, we drifted side to and it rolled pretty badly. As long as we kept moving it handled very well. (I have run at least 7 diffferent older models of Oceans as well). Keep in mind, Ocean is not as strong a quality as Viking Bertram Hatteras, but for the money you get a lot of boat. Capt Jay loves his Cabos but I have run 2 31', a 35' and 2 45' Cabos and I would not let any of my customers who fish rough water buy them. They are very hard riding and extremely wet although well built. Click to expand...

Thanks, for your information it was really helpfull, i am looking on the new 42, have you been on that boat???????. I used to have a 35 cabo and i have the same opinion you do. Thanks, Julio

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Divers search sunken yacht as entrepreneur, five others, remain missing off cost of Sicily

The deep-sea search for six passengers missing after a luxury yacht sank during a ferocious storm, including a prominent British tech entrepreneur and his daughter, continued Tuesday, with divers attempting to search the yacht as it lay on the ocean floor off the northern coast of Sicily.

But Italian officials acknowledged that, as time went on, the chance of finding the missing alive was getting slimmer.

“We have no memory of situations in which, with sunken vessels, people remain alive after 36, now [almost] 48 hours,” said Vincenzo Zagarola, a Porticello Coast Guard official. It was “difficult to imagine” people could still be alive inside the yacht’s hull underwater, Zagarola said.

So far, only one crew member has been confirmed dead in Monday’s disaster. The body of the yacht’s chef, identified as Canadian-Antiguan Recaldo Thomas, was found during initial recovery efforts. Fifteen people have been rescued.

Still missing are British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and attorney Chris Morvillo , a partner at Clifford Chance in New York who represented Lynch in a recently concluded legal battle, and his wife, Neda.

Lynch, charged in the United States with fraud associated with his 2011 sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard, was acquitted on all counts in June. The voyage on the 183-foot Bayesian, owned by a company controlled by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was intended to be a celebration of his legal victory, Britain’s Telegraph reported.

Divers resumed work around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday but have struggled to enter the narrow passages of the cluttered wreck, fire rescue service spokesman said.

Tables and chairs were blocking entrances, and cables and wires were forming a “sort of mesh,” spokesman Luca Cari told the Washington Post. “At the moment we are working on land to plan for an intervention and above all to create new openings.” The divers were searching the yacht’s stern.

Divers have found “no indication” that any of the missing people are on the ship, he said, but one “operational hypothesis” is that individuals may still be inside their cabins, based on the early-morning time of the sinking.

Violent weather appears to have caught many by surprise. Zagarola, the Coast Guard official, said that they had only expected “strong gusts” on the day of the sinking and that no weather warnings had been issued.

One passenger, Charlotte Golunski, told Italian media of holding on to her 1-year-old daughter, Sophie, amid the storm.

“For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea,” she told Giornale di Sicilia. “Then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.”

The 184-f00t-long British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members roughly half a mile from the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello when it encountered rough weather at about 5 a.m. Monday. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and waves thrashed the vessel.

A fisherman described the scene to the Italian news agency ANSA. “It was floating, still, then suddenly vanished,” Pietro Asciutto said. “I saw it sink with my own eyes.”

Golunski and her partner, identified by Italian media as James Emslie, had been invited onto the ship as Lynch’s guests. She told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper that she held her daughter “afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upward to keep her from drowning.”

“It was all dark,” she said. “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 the others.” Eventually, Golunski, Sophie, Emslie and eight others were able to get onto an inflatable lifeboat.

The Sir Robert, a Dutch-flagged sailing vessel anchored nearby, responded immediately to help survivors before the Italian coast guard arrived.

Britain was expected to deploy a team of four inspectors to conduct a preliminary assessment into the disaster.

“We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Sicily, and are in contact with the local authorities,” a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Carl Sputh, a former yacht captain who now works as a broker for Northrop and Johnson, a yacht brokerage firm based out of Fort Lauderdale, said that sudden weather changes at sea were not uncommon.

“I was a captain for 27 years, and I can tell you that I’ve been in waterspouts and microbursts that are similar to what happened out there that night with them,” Sputh said in an interview. “You go from like zero wind and a beautiful night into 80 to 100 mile an hour winds out of nowhere. And it happens extremely fast, and they’re extremely violent, and then they’re over.”

Yachts like the Bayesian would have a retractable keel that helps balance the yacht when sailing and improves stability, Sputh added. Italian Bayesian was anchored offshore. If the ship was planning to move closer to shore soon, Sputh said, it would have been normal for the keel to be retracted, to allow for navigation in more shallow waters.

Bacares, Lynch’s wife, was among the 15 survivors, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation. The Bayesian is owned by Revtom, a firm controlled by Bacares and registered on the Isle of Man, records show.

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate with Clifford Chance in London, also survived.

“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” the firm said in a statement Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with our Partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife, Neda, who are among the missing.”

“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.”

Bloomer, in addition to chairing Morgan Stanley International, joined the insurance group Hiscox last year as nonexecutive chair.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Aki Hussain, the group’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”

Judy Bloomer worked with the British women’s health charity the Eve Appeal.

“Judy is a brilliant champion for women’s health and medical research, and has been an incredible supporter, committee member and trustee of our charity for over 20 years,” CEO Athena Lamnisos said in a statement Tuesday. “We are deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend and her husband, Jonathan, are among those missing.”

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Italian ship maker Perini Navi, according to the SuperYacht Times.

Three teams of divers, two from Italy’s coast guard and one from the fire brigade, are involved in the search-and-rescue operation, the coast guard said.

The yacht sank to a depth of more than 160 feet. The first attempt by fire brigade cave divers to search inside the yacht was unsuccessful, rescue authorities said.

On Tuesday evening, Zagarola said that despite the low odds, it would be “beautiful” to find the other passengers. “We are [still] looking for missing people.”

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What we know about the capsized superyacht off the Sicilian coast

Officials were caught off guard by ferocity of storm that sank ship.

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During a vicious storm before dawn on Monday, a superyacht carrying nearly two dozen people suddenly capsized while still anchored and sank within sight of a small Sicilian fishing village. A Canadian-born man who had been working as the on-board cook died, and several others are still missing.

The authorities have yet to determine what caused the yacht to capsize, but here's what we know about the ship.

Who was on board?

Twenty-two people — 10 crew and 12 passengers — were on board the anchored ship when it went down off the coast of Porticello, less than 20 kilometres from the Sicilian capital of Palermo. 

They included one of Britain's most recognizable tech entrepreneurs, Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter, his wife, one of his lawyers as well as the president of Morgan Stanley International.

Fifteen people were rescued, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, are among the six people unaccounted for. Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the local fire rescue service, said they are believed to be inside the hull of the sunken ship. 

The Italian coast guard said the missing included people with British, American and Canadian nationalities.

A passenger ship anchored nearby, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, found some of the survivors on a life raft and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

Rescuers later recovered the body of the ship's cook, who was born in Canada and lived in Antigua.

'It was a big disaster,' boater says of storm that capsized luxury yacht

Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency said the missing include: Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife as well as Chris Morvillo, one of Lynch's lawyers, with the firm Clifford Chance, and his wife.

Cocina said the crew and passengers were from a variety of countries, including France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

How bad was the storm?

Officials had expected poor weather, but the severity of the storm caught them off guard.

The Italian Air Force's Centre for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology registered intense lightning activity and strong gusts of wind in the area when the ship sank, according to its director. Col. Attilio Di Diodato told the New York Times he could not rule out that it had been a waterspout  — rotating columns of water that can form over the ocean.

Separately, Cocina told journalists that a waterspout had hit the area overnight.

"It could be that the mast broke or the anchor at the prow pulled it" as the mini tornado hit, fisherman Fabio Cefalu, who helped look for survivors, told The Associated Press.

Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby ship that helped survivors, said he struggled to control his own ship during what he described as very strong winds.

'The ship behind us was gone,' says captain who rescued yacht passengers

A meteorologist said there was a higher risk of extreme weather in the Mediterranean Sea because recent storms and heavy rainfall after weeks of intense heat affected the water's temperature.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 C, which is almost three degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," Luca Mercalli told Reuters.

"We can't say that this is all due to global warming but we can say that it has an amplifying effect."

What kind of yacht was it?

The Bayesian was 56 metres long — about half the length of an NFL football field. Perini, an Italian firm, built the ship in 2008.

It was named for English statistician Thomas Bayes, whose theories of probability influenced the software Lynch developed and with which he made his fortune.

Refitted in 2020, the ship was notable for its single 75-metre mast — one of the world's tallest made of aluminum. It was lit up at night, including just hours before it sank.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14. It was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening with a navigation status of "at anchor," according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

According to the shipspotting.com website, the boat was owned by a firm called Revtom Limited. Lynch's wife is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents.

Where is the wreck now?

Police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting where it had been anchored at a depth of 50 metres off Porticello.

Rescuers returned to the site after 10 p.m. to see if it would be possible to search through the night, when weather conditions were expected to worsen, said Luca Cari with the fire rescue service.

The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press