What might have led to the sinking of the Sicily yacht?

Specialist divers are still searching for six individuals who were aboard a luxury superyacht that capsized off the coast of Sicily on Monday morning, with many questioning the cause of the sinking.

According to the vessel tracking app Vesselfinder, the yacht departed from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, showing a navigation status of "at anchor."

The Sicily yacht, Bayesian, likely sank due to a combination of extreme weather and structural weaknesses. 

It is thought that the yacht was hit by a waterspout, a tornado over the water, which caused the Bayesian to capsize.

Reports suggest that the mast broke during the storm, and water may have entered through hatches and doors that were left open due to the warm weather, contributing to the sinking. 

Additionally, the yacht’s tall mast may have acted like a sail, potentially forcing the boat onto its side, causing it to fill with water rapidly before it could right itself. 

Experts speculate that these factors, combined with the severe weather conditions driven by unusually high sea surface temperatures, likely led to the yacht’s sinking.

Weather records indicate that temperatures reached around 33°C the day before the sinking. Sam Jefferson, editor of Sailing Today magazine, believes this may have prompted the occupants of the Bayesian to leave openings for air circulation while they slept.

"I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side," Mr Jefferson said.

"I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.”