‘We tried to save everyone we could,’ says British sailor on Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht

Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty when the yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, told of the desperate scramble to save those on board

A British sailor aboard Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht has told how crew tried to save everyone that they could.
Matthew Griffiths, a member of crew who was on watch duty when the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily killing seven people, told investigators of the desperate scramble to save those on board.
British tech entrepreneur, Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among those who lost their lives when the yacht sank.
Mr Griffiths was one of 22 people on board the Bayesian when it was hit by a violent storm just a few hundred metres from the port of Porticello in the early hours of August 19.
He has told prosecutors that he “woke the captain up when the wind was blowing 20 knots”, according to the Italian news agency, ANSA.
“He ordered me to wake everyone else up,” Griffiths reportedly told prosecutors. I then stored away the pillows and plants, closed the windows of the sitting room on the bow and some hatches.”
The 22-year-old sailor is one of three crew members under investigation – together with New Zealand Captain James Cutfield, 51, and British engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 56, – into what caused the yacht to sink in only 16 minutes and whether they did enough to alert passengers and crew.
In a dramatic account of what happened on the night of the tragedy, Mr Griffiths told investigators when the storm hit, the ship “tilted and we fell into the water”.
“We were then able to climb back on board and tried to save those we could,” he said. “The boat was tilted and we were walking on the walls (of the yacht)”.
“We saved who we could, Cutfield (also) rescued the little girl and her mother,” he said, referring to British passenger Charlotte Golunski who desperately fought to save her one-year-old daughter in the darkness before the mother and her child were rescued.
Fifteen crew members and passengers, including Mr Lynch’s wife, survived the sinking.
Mr Cutfield reportedly broke down in tears when he was questioned by prosecutors last week. He also invoked his legal right to remain silent during formal questioning while his lawyers prepare their defence. Mr Cutfield flew out of Sicily last week and is believed to have returned to Majorca, where he lives with his wife.
Chief prosecutor, Ambrogio Cartosio, said the investigation is looking into multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck through negligence.
Under the Italian legal system, being placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily mean that charges will be made.
ANSA reported that the defence attorneys of Mr Parker Eaton and Mr Griffiths could request technical consultancies to determine whether the yacht had some type of malfunction or was subjected to a violent and unpredictable weather event.
Investigators have said the storm that hit the Bayesian at about 4am local time on Aug 19 was “an extreme event” that happened “really, really suddenly”. They are scrutinising whether any hatches were left open and whether the keel was partially raised – which would have rendered the yacht less stable.
Autopsies on the seven victims are expected to begin on Monday at an institute of forensic medicine in Palermo.