A Manx-owned yacht which sank off the coast of Sicily was vulnerable to strong winds, an interim report has found.

On August 19, 2024, the UK-registered large sailing yacht Bayesian was anchored off the port of Porticello. There were 12 guests and 10 crew on board at the time the vessel sank.

The area was hit by strong winds which reached 70 knots which resulted in the Bayesian listing before water entered. The vessel quickly sank which resulted in the loss of six passengers and one crew member.

The vessel is owned by Manx-registered company Revtom Limited who has an address on North Quay in Douglas although it is managed by Camper and Nicholsons International based in Monaco.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) had published an interim report and says the circumstances of the accident have not yet been subjected to a full analysis.

But it says: ‘The initial studies commissioned by the MAIB show that Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds, and that such winds may have been evident at the time of the accident.’

The interim report found the vessel would be knocked over by winds strong than 63.4 knots with the hurricane force winds sufficient to knock the Bayesian over. But these vulnerabilities were not identified in the vessels documentation.

Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents Andrew Moll OBE said: ‘The study has reviewed the yacht’s stability, the likely local weather conditions at the time, and the effect of that weather on the yacht.

‘The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over. Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70° the situation was irrecoverable.’

The MAIB says the results will be refined as the investigation proceeds and more information becomes available.