Body of superyacht chef recovered – here’s who else was on board

UK

Twenty-two people were on board the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it got into difficulty at around 4.30am, the Italian coastguard said.

A man is confirmed to have died, while six people are missing and another 15 were rescued. Here’s what we know about who was on board.

Follow latest on superyacht sinking: Captain speaks for first time

Mike Lynch

Image:
Pic: Reuters

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing following the sinking of the yacht, which his family are understood to own.

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

He has an estimated net worth of £852m, according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List.

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.

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

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

Hannah Lynch

Mr Lynch’s 18-year-old Hannah Lynch was also on board the yacht and is missing.

She was on holiday with her parents and has secured a place at the University of Oxford, according to reports.

Angela Bacares

Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was on board the yacht and was rescued. She confirmed to Italian media that her husband and daughter are missing.

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

Like her husband, she is also part of the tech world, now holding the majority stake in Darktrace, a cyber security firm set up by Mr Lynch.

Jonathan Bloomer

Image:
Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin

Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International, was on board the yacht and is missing.

According to the Financial Times, Mr Bloomer appeared as a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair are believed to be good friends.

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

He is also chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox, which confirmed he is missing.

Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomer’s wife Judy was also on board the yacht and is missing.

Hiscox said in its statement: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing.”

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

Ricardo Thomas

The yacht’s on-board chef Ricardo Thomas is the only person who is confirmed dead, according to reports.

He was born in Canada but had been living in Antigua.

The Palermo Port Authority told Canadian broadcaster CBC News his body has been recovered from the wreckage.

Chris Morvillo

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Pic: Clifford Chance handout

US lawyer Chris Morvillo is missing from the yacht.

The father-of-two worked on Mr Lynch’s US fraud trial and is 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 his most 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 was also on board the yacht and is unaccounted for.

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

Charlotte Golunski

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

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.

James Emsley

Ms Golunksi’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.

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