British Bill Gates, ‘Mike Lynch’, the renowned tech entrepreneur from the UK, was celebrating his not guilty verdict in a high-profile fraud case when the tragedy occurred. 

His 56-meter British-flagged superyacht ‘Bayesian’ sank off the coast of Porticello, Italy on August 19. The yacht was anchored close to the port when it was hit by severe weather conditions, leading to one death and six people missing. 

Rescue efforts and casualties by the Italian coast guard 

The Italian coast guard quickly responded to the emergency and managed to rescue 15 out of the 22 people on the yacht. Eight of those who were rescued were sent to local hospitals for treatment. 

Tragically, a cook from the yacht was found dead near the wreckage. Despite extensive search efforts with helicopters and boats, six individuals are still missing, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. 

A spokesperson for Sicily’s civil protection agency, Francesco Venuto expressed his frustration and disappointment over the ongoing search: ‘We’ve been searching all day with helicopters and boats, but we’ve found nothing. That wouldn’t make sense; in these conditions, we should have found something by now’. 

Who was Mike Lynch, how did he earn the title ‘British Bill Gates’? 

Mike Lynch was born on June 16, 1965, in Essex, UK. He is renowned for his significant contributions to technology. He earned the title ‘British Bill Gates’, because of his pioneering work and influence in the tech industry. 

Lynch studied physics, mathematics and biochemistry at Cambridge university, where his doctoral thesis gained widespread recognition. His innovative projects have left a substantial impact on the industry, paralleling Bill Gates’s influence in the United States. 

Recent Legal Victory: A Connection with the Yacht Tragedy? 

The marine tragedy happened soon after Lynch’s legal victory. In a long and highly publicized case, the court acquitted Lynch of more than a dozen fraud and conspiracy charges. The charges were related to the alleged inflation of Autonomy’s earnings before its $11 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard.

The not-guilty verdict was a big relief for Lynch and his family, who had faced intense scrutiny over the past years. 

Are global warming and extreme weather the culprits? 

Italian climatologist Luca Meracalli believes that global warming might have influenced the severe weather that hit the ‘Bayesian’. According to Mercalli, climate change is making waterspout and downburst—both intense weather phenomena—more frequent, which could explain the extreme conditions.

Merchalli noted that the sea surface temperature near Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), almost 3 degrees above normal. Global warning add energy to storms by elevating temperature, which may exacerbate their intensity. 

Additionally, Merchalli stated that we can’t blame this specific incident solely on climate change, but global warning can amplify such extreme weather events. He also referred to a similar incident last year at Lake Maggiore, where a sudden storm led a tourist boat to sink, resulting in four deaths.