Reuters

Ferrari Enters Sailing World With Unveiling of Hypersail Project

Ferrari announced its entry into the world of sailing on Wednesday with a Hypersail project led by Italian yachtsman Giovanni Soldini that it said would blend racing tradition with technological innovation.The world's first 100-foot monohull ocean racing yacht with a foil on the keel has been designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier and is being built at an undisclosed location in Italy with a launch scheduled for 2026."It perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition…

Salvage to Begin in Italy for Mike Lynch's Yacht After Fatal Sinking

The recovery of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht from the waters of northern Sicily is expected to begin in the coming weeks to help shed light on how a supposedly unsinkable vessel disappeared into the sea last August.The 56-metre-long (184-foot) Bayesian, with its majestic single 72-metre mast, was moored off the small port of Porticello when it was likely hit by a downburst, a very strong downward wind, in the early hours of August 19.The Bayesian capsized and sank from the stern in the space of 16 minutes, killing seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah.

73-Year-Old British Sailor Lost at Sea

A British sailor was lost at sea after his yacht was found wrecked off the southwest French coast amid heavy storms over the weekend, French maritime authorities said.The search for the 73-year-old came as Storm Herminia battered western France.

Divers Recover Video Equipment from Mike Lynch’s Sunken Yacht

Italian Navy divers have recovered video surveillance equipment from the superyacht that sank off Sicily last month, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six other people, a source close to the matter said on Friday.The recovery of the equipment could help explain why the British-flagged Bayesian went down during a severe and sudden storm off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, on Aug. 19 - an event that has puzzled naval experts.Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, four guests and the cook died when the 56-meter-long (184-foot) yacht capsized and sank within minutes.

Cause of Death Revealed for Four Victims on Mike Lynch Yacht

Initial examinations of four of the people killed when British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's family yacht sank off Sicily last month indicated they had died of suffocation as oxygen ran out on the stricken vessel, judicial sources said on Thursday.Lynch, his daughter Hannah, an onboard cook and four guests died when the Bayesian, a British flagged 56-metre (184-feet) superyacht, sank during a severe and sudden weather event off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, on Aug.

Yacht's Captain Keeping Silent in Bayesian Sinking Probe

The captain of the luxury yacht owned by the family of British tech magnate Mike Lynch that sank off Sicily last week declined to respond to prosecutors during questioning on Tuesday, one of his lawyers said.James Cutfield, a 51-year old New Zealand national, was put under investigation on Monday by Italian prosecutors."The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons," lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters."First, he's very worn out. Second, we were…

Orcas Attack! Vessel Towed to Shore After Rammed Off Spanish Coast

Orcas rammed a sailboat off the coast of northwestern Spain and damaged the vessel's rudder, prompting the maritime rescue service to tow the boat ashore, the service said on Monday.The incident was the latest in a series of boat rammings by orca pods off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. Scientists have yet to reach a consensus on the reasons for this recent behaviour.One of the sailboat's two crew members seriously injured her hand during the towing manoeuvre amid rough sea conditions and was evacuated by helicopter to hospital…

Yacht Builder Blames 'Indescribable' Crew Errors for Sicily Shipwreck

A series of "indescribable, unreasonable errors" by the crew led to the shipwreck in which British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six others died earlier this week, the yacht manufacturer's CEO told Reuters on Thursday.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-foot) superyacht with 22 people aboard - 12 passengers and 10 crew - capsized and sank on Monday within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily."The boat suffered a series of indescribable, unreasonable errors, the impossible happened on that boat ...

Body of British Tech Billionaire Mike Lynch Retrieved from Sunken Yacht

The body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch was retrieved on Thursday from the wreck of his family yacht that sank earlier this week off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm, a source close to the rescue operation said.Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still unaccounted for, the source said. The bodies of four other people who vanished when the boat went down were recovered from the yacht on Wednesday.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew…

Two Bodies Found Inside Sunken Yacht off Sicily

Scuba divers scouring the wreck of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's family yacht, which sank off Sicily two days ago, have found two bodies inside it, a source close to rescue operations said on Wednesday.One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, the source said.Rescue officials have been looking for six missing people, including Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-ft) superyacht…

184-ft. Yacht 'Bayesian' Sinks Off Italy: One Dead, Six Missing

One person died and six people were missing after a luxury yacht was struck by a whirlwind and sank off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo, Italian media reported. Italy's fire brigade and coast guard had earlier said divers were searching for seven missing people and did not immediately confirm that a body had been found.The 56-metre-long (184-ft) luxury sailboat, which was British registered, sank with 22 people on board when it was hit by a violent storm at sunrise, the coast guard said in a statement.It said one crew member and six passengers were missing…

Top Bidder to Pay $505 Million to Operate Fenerbahce-Kalamis Yacht Marina

Turkish businessman Vahit Karaarslan submitted the highest bid of $505 million to operate Fenerbahce-Kalamis Yacht Marina for 40 years, the country's privatization authority said on July 17.Koc Holding's unit Tek-Art Kalamis was the second highest bidder in the tender with $504 million, the government authority also said in a statement.In 2021, during a previous tender for the operation rights, Tek-Art Kalamis submitted the top bid but the tender was cancelled with a presidential decision.($1 = 33.0918 liras)(Reuters - Reporting by Ebru Tuncay; writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; editing by Burcu Karakas

British Man Participating in Greek Yacht Regatta Found Dead on Island

A British man who had been taking part in a yachting regatta off the Greek island of Spetses was found dead on Friday, authorities said.Coastguard authorities said the 44-year-old man was found in a bay area of the island with what appeared to be injuries on the left side of his head.

Yacht Crew Expected to Deny Arson Charges Over Fire on Greek Island

The crew members of a yacht accused of starting a forest fire last week on the Greek island of Hydra are expected to deny arson charges when they appear before a judge on Wednesday, a legal source said.Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country but they have become more frequent and devastating due to hotter, drier and windier weather, which scientists link to climate change. Greece has in recent years beefed up penalties for arson.The fire, which is believed to have been sparked by fireworks…

Kevin Costner Jokes About Blocking Cannes Yachts to Finance 'Horizon' Films

Kevin Costner joked at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday that he was ready to blockade rich people on their yachts unless they gave him money to finance his planned four-part Western series "Horizon: An American Saga."The Hollywood star has already taken out a mortgage on 10 acres of his waterfront property in California to help fund the film project, which tells of the challenges faced by settlers expanding the American West in the late 1800s. Now, he needs more financial backing for the project."If we all went out together into this harbour and we stood in front of one boat.

Orcas Sink Sailing Yacht in Strait of Gibraltar

An unknown number of orcas have sunk a sailing yacht after ramming it in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain's maritime rescue service said on Monday, a new attack in what has become a trend in the past four years.The vessel Alboran Cognac, which measured 15 meters (49 feet) in length and carried two people, encountered the highly social apex predators, also known as killer whales, at 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday, the service said.The passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder before water started seeping into the ship.

Caribbean Officials Search for Missing Couple After Yacht Hijacking

Police from two countries in the eastern Caribbean are investigating the possible murder of two people believed to be U.S. citizens who owned a catamaran that was hijacked by three fugitives in the waters off the island of Grenada.The yacht's alleged owners, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, were last seen Sunday night, when three men escaped from the custody of Grenadian authorities. Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured the men on Wednesday.The Royal Grenada Police…

US Spending $7 Million a Year to Maintain Yacht Seized from Russian Oligarch

The U.S. government said it is spending more than $7 million a year to maintain a superyacht it seized from a sanctioned Russian oligarch, and urged a judge to let it auction the vessel before a dispute over its ownership is resolved.Authorities in Fiji seized the 348-foot (106-meter), $300 million Amadea in May 2022, pursuant to a U.S. warrant alleging it was owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a multibillionaire sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia's activities in Syria and Ukraine.Efforts to auction the yacht are being challenged by Eduard Khudainatov…

Russian Businessman Loses Appeal Against UK Over Detained Superyacht

A wealthy Russian businessman on Friday lost a legal challenge against Britain over the detention of his $50 million superyacht.Sergei Naumenko's 58.5 metre yacht Phi was detained in London under the government's Russian sanctions in March 2022, the first time the regulations had been used to detain a ship.Naumenko, who owns the yacht through a St Kitts and Nevis-registered company, took legal action against Britain's Department of Transport (DfT), arguing the vessel was detained…