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New and Used Antique and Classic Boats for Sale

The term classic boat can be seen as subjective but allows us to enjoy and explore a rich and historic look back at some of the most beautiful craft ever built over hundreds of years. Some classic power boats and classic sailing yachts of which have great racing records whilst others represent de... learn more about Classic Boats

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760 New and Used Classic Boats

Ranger Tugs 27 Classic

Jensen Beach, Florida (United States of America)

OFFERED BY:

Pocket Yacht Company

New to the market, this 2014 Ranger Tug 27 represents the pinnacle of compact cruising comfort, efficiency, and versatility. Known for their exceptional design and functionality...

Classic ACF 47' Motor Yacht

Madisonville, Louisiana (United States of America)

Rick Obey Yacht Sales

To have the ability of owning a very unique part of AMERICAN MARITIME HISTORY puts one into an elite class of very fortunate yacht owners.There are so few classic America...

Navigator Classic Pilothouse

Orange Beach, Alabama (United States of America)

United Yacht Sales

PRICE REDUCED $10K!! ThisNavigator Raised Pilothouse Motor Yacht is a wonderful example of a Cruising yacht that can easily maneuver in many sea conditions to and from places like the Bahamas ...

Gibson Classic 44

Seneca, Illinois (United States of America)

- Stock #GIBSON CLASSIC 44 HOUSEBOAT TWIN 240 CHRYSLER INBOARDS This 1989 Gibson Classic 44 Houseboat is located in Seneca, IL. One of just a few houseboats located in the Midw...

Benetti 120 Classic

Aventura, Florida (United States of America)

The Benetti Classic 120 is an evolution of the Classic series by the design team of François Zuretti (interior) and Stefano Righini (exterior) aimed at creating a luxury superyacht with incre...

Grand Banks 42 Classic

Moore Haven, Florida (United States of America)

Sunshine Cruising Yachts

The 42 Grand Banks needs no introduction. The Indigo Falcon is a distinguished iconic timeless vessel reflected by her reputation. She is known as one of the most successful tr...

Donzi Boats 22 Classic

Boca Raton, Florida (United States of America)

- Stock #Beautiful and fast boat that runs great! Always stored covered! The Donzi 22 Classic is a great high-performance platform. The 22 Classis has been so popular, that Don...

Grand Banks 46 Classic

Stuart, Florida (United States of America)

1990 Grand Banks 46 Classic This highly desirable 46 Grand Banks Classic with galley down showcases the combination of warm Teak interiors with premium fabrics for maximum nautical appeal. Th...

Grand Banks 36 Classic

Branford, Connecticut (United States of America)

Brewer Yacht Sales

“Alexandra” offers an outstanding opportunity to own a “timeless” Downeast Classic GB36 trawler at a value price that’s less than 1/2 her restoration costs! Restoration The gelcoat below ...

Pro-Line Classic 21CC

Hialeah Gardens, Florida (United States of America)

- Stock #HP YAMAHA, LOW HOURS!! GARMIN ELECTRONICS, TRAILER INCLUDED. READY FOR THE WATER!!! This 2014 Pro-Line Classic 21' Center Console comes with a four-stroke 150 horsepow...

American International Marine Seawitch Ketch

Dana Point, California (United States of America)

Kam Yacht Sales

We can help with obtaining insurance and a slip in So Cal. Sea Forth was designed by Naval architect Hugh Angelman, and intended for world cruising. Built by American Marine in ...

Sarasota , Florida (United States of America)

SYS Yacht Sales

PRICE REDUCED! This 1990 Grand Banks 46 Classic _ GOOD ENOUGH is a wonderful example of one of Grand Banks' most popular cruising boats ever produced. The 46 Classic is exactly that, a classic...

Bayliner Classic 222

Stuyvesant, New York (United States of America)

- Stock #Bayliner 222 with trailer. Ready to sell! This 2005 Bayliner 222 Classic is the perfect boat for overnight family trips! With a spacious cabin and cockpit the family c...

Tarpon Springs, Florida (United States of America)

Tampa Yacht Sales, INC

Introducing "Tampanero" this magnificent 1985 Grand Banks 42 Classic - a timeless vessel that captures the essence of a bygone era while providing all the modern amenities of a luxury yacht. Wi...

Seattle, Washington (United States of America)

- Stock #***SALE PENDING*** Charming Grand Banks 36 Trawler. Refurbishment and New Paint in 2019. Impressive electronics array. New fuel tanks. This classic lady will be a char...

Bayliner 210 Classic Cuddy

Staten Island, New York (United States of America)

- Stock #Bayliner Classic Cuddy with lots of fun for friends! Great Bayliner for sale in New York- 2005 Bayliner 210 Classic Cuddy Cabin powered by a reliable Mercruiser 220 HP...

Benetti Classic Supreme 132

$16,950,000

Dania Beach, (United States of America)

Northrop and Johnson

OTHER MACHINERY (2) A-Sea shore power converters 54/kva Idromar reverse osmosis Watermaker System, 150 USG/600L per hour (3,600 GPD) raw water feed prefilter Idromar potable water syst...

Grand Banks Classic, stabilized with thruster

Gilman Yachts of Fort Lauderdale, Inc.

Here is a 46' Heritage Classic with the galley up arrangement.Powered by a pair of serviced Caterpillar 375hp 3208TA diesels with a Westmar bow thruster and Naiad stabili...

Mako 261 Classic CC

Tampa, Florida (United States of America)

Worldwide Yacht Sales

The Classic Mako 261 hull is renowned for its excellent ride quality. This vessel stands ready for fun and adventure, equipped with Simrad electronics featuring Radar and a Fusion Sound system...

Grand Banks Classic Wide Body

Merritt Island, Florida (United States of America)

After you is a well proven Grand Banks Classic Wide Body that has the much-needed extra room in the aft cabin by being wider than the standard Classic which allows for an Island Queen in the ma...

Pacific Boats Classic Cabin 36

Brinnon, Washington (United States of America)

- Stock #Universal Trawler 36 foot ~ Range, Comfort and Style! Adventure awaits! This vessel is capable and proven. According to the seller, this one is rated 19 miles offshore...

Albemarle Boats Carolina Classic 28

Rio Linda, California (United States of America)

- Stock #Great boat. Great fisher. She's ready for all the anglers in the family! Outer Banks boat builders have for years built some of the most seaworthy and functional sport...

Hinckley Picnic Boat Classic

Portsmouth , Rhode Island (United States of America)

Worth Avenue Yachts

Introduction URBAN (name reserved) is a Hinckley Picnic Boat Classic that just received a total refit/ repower and is in exceptional care. This boat is maintained by Hinckle...

Grand Banks Aft Cabin 42 Classic

Anacortes, Washington (United States of America)

Seattle Yachts

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $281,900 Boat Name: VOYAGEUR Make: Grand Banks Model: Aft Cabin 42 Classic Year: 1995 Condition: Used Category: Trawlers Construction: Fiberglass Length: ...

Crest Classic LX 220 SLRC

Sanford, Florida (United States of America)

- Stock #LOADED 2022 CREST CLASSIC LX 220 SLRC TRITOON WITH 150 HP SUZUKI OUTBOARD, POWER POLE, UPGRADED STEREO, POWER BIMINI AND CHILLED CUP HOLDER! ********************** CER...

VENTO V40 Retro Classic Open

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (United States of America)

An exciting opportunity awaits! Be the first to own this 2023 Vento V40. The Retro Classic Open is a 40' sporty day cruiser that is both elegant and spacious, with a completely...

Chris-Craft 17 Sportsman

Lenoir City, Tennessee (United States of America)

- Stock #Beautiful fully restored 1956 Chris-Craft Sportsman 17! Ready to hit the water! This a show-ready example 1956 Chris-Craft 17ft Sportsman which has been refurbished ca...

Chris-Craft Sea-Skiff 26

Cedarville, Michigan (United States of America)

- Stock #Classic, Restored 1958 Chris-Craft Sea Skiff with Custom Trailer, Both in Great Condition! Own a piece of History with this 1958 Chris-Craft Sea Skiff 26. Boat is a re...

* Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price.

ABOUT CLASSIC BOATS

The term classic boat can be seen as subjective but allows us to enjoy and explore a rich and historic look back at some of the most beautiful craft ever built over hundreds of years. Some classic power boats and classic sailing yachts of which have great racing records whilst others represent design milestones in the development of sailing yachts, traditional river boats , commercial vessels or contemporary classics such as the historic Dunkirk Little Ship .

Usually, the build date is before 1970, however, now many modern boats are crafted in a classic build theme following traditional build criteria and the term modern classic is now commonplace when looking at this type of boat.

As the classic boat area is a very niche marketplace we recommend you talk to a specialist in this field when deciding on your purchase, they will advise you on the best boat to suit your needs, offer advice for ongoing maintenance and storage and explore your options with your best interest at heart.

These search results are based on a keyword and category search, so if you are looking for a real classic, a boat pre-1970, please filter your search by using the 'other' filter and applying a year for the best results.

Happy searching! You may find antique boats, wooden ships, classic river boats, classic sailing yachts, and wooden boats for sale. Iconic brands such as Riva's classic power boats may also be seen here.

MANUFACTURERS IN CLASSIC BOATS

Classic boats by make, classic boats by country, classic boats by state.

• Classic boats in California (10)
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• Classic boats in New York (6)
• Classic boats in North Carolina (4)
• Classic boats in Rhode Island (6)
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• Classic boats in Washington (4)

Heritage, Vintage and Classic Yachts

We hope that you enjoy our selection of vintage and classic sailing yachts. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information on any of the yachts featured on our website. OUR CLASSIC MOTOR YACHTS ARE AVAILABLE TO VIEW HERE

Sandeman Yacht Company

Brokerage of classic & vintage yachts.

Downs Road Boatyard 19A Downs Road Maldon, Essex, CM9 5HG Telephone: 01621 859373 Mobile: 07885 859373 Email: [email protected]

Mj lewis & son (boat sales) ltd..

Downs Road Boatyard 19A Downs Road Maldon, Essex CM9 5HG Telephone: 01621 859373 Mobile: 07885 859373 Email: [email protected]

Welcome to MJ Lewis Boat Sales

26.5m thames sailing barge, steel 1926.

Lying afloat: Pin Mill, nr. Ipswich Asking Price: £395,000 GBP ...

25m Commercial Thames Sailing Barge with Charter Business, 1895

Lying Afloat Ipswich Dock Asking Price: £375,000 GBP ...

80ft Thames Sailing Barge, wooden, totally restored, 1881.

Afloat: Maldon, Essex, CM9 Guide Price: £325,000 GBP ...

25m Thames Sailing Barge, wooden, 1895

Lying afloat: River Crouch, Essex OFFERS considered. IRO £125000 ...

40m Belgian Spitz motor barge, 1956

Lying: Maldon, Essex, REDUCED Asking Price: £55,000 ...

40ft Narrow Boat, a Semi Traditional Stern Cruiser, 1936

Afloat: Harlow, Essex Asking Price: £39,000 GBP ...

42ft Thames Sailing Barge, Wooden half size, 1881, A Project.

Lying: St Osyth, nr. Clacton Price: £35,000 GBP ...

46ft Ferro Cement Bermudan Yawl, 2003. Cigfran Mor

Afloat: Maylandsea, nr Maldon, Essex Asking Price: £29,950 GBP ...

26ft Classic Gaff Cutter 1906 Gann & Palmer

Lying afloat: Under Cover, Maylandsea, nr Maldon Price: £26,000 GBP ...

7m GRP motor sailer, Vinga Marine, 1974, Rayona

Lying afloat: Maldon, Essex CM9 Asking Price: £22,950 GBP ...

6.60m Guy Couach 660E Pleasure/Fishing Boat 1986 Angela J

Afloat: Levington Marina, Suffolk Asking Price: £21,950 GBP ...

30ft A Channel Island Pilot Cutter, c1870 Try Again

Afloat on swinging mooring: Nr Woodbridge, Suffolk Price: £19,950 GBP ...

28ft East Anglian mk1, Buchannan, Cyril White 1959 Cirrus

Afloat : Maylandsea, nr Maldon, Essex Asking Price: £19,500 GBP ...

19ft Cape Cutter, GRP Gaffer with Trailer, 2003 Stormy.

Afloat: Maldon, Essex. CM9 Asking Price: £18,500 GBP ...

30ft Classic Bermudan Cutter 1937

Ashore: Nr. Great Yarmouth Asking Price: £16,950 GBP ...

25ft Teak Bermudan Sloop with Aux, Dalimore, 1950 Athena

Afloat Maldon Essex CM9 REDUCED Asking Price: £13,950 GBP ...

Contessa 26, GRP Bermudan Sloop Mk1, 1972 Juliet

Ashore: Walton on the Naze, Essex. CO14 Asking Price: £12,950 GBP ...

24ft Tamarisk, GRP Gaff Cutter, new engine, 2023, Joy

Ashore: Faversham, Kent, ME13 7BY Price REDUCED: £12,950 GBP ...

28ft Gaff Cutter 2013, wooden ex Lugger 1895, Megan.

Lying: Afloat Hollowshore , Kent Asking Price REDUCED: £12,500 ...

25ft Classic Bermudan Masthead Sloop by Uphams,1939 Night Wind

Ashore: Rye, Kent Asking Price: £11,750 GBP ...

26ft SCOD, South Coast One Design, 1964, Tromba

Ashore: Maldon, Essex Asking Price: £11,500 GBP ...

36ft Classic Teak Bermudan Cutter, Built by Fays, Soper design 1901

Ashore: nr.Frinton CO13 Asking Price: £10,950 GBP ...

18ft Sea Otter by David Moss, Gaff Yawl, inboard & Road Trailer, 1998 Chiggo

Ashore: Mistley, Essex. CO11 1NG Asking Price REDUCED: £10,950 GBP (Boat, dinghy & trailer) ...

Oystercatcher 16, GRP Gaff cutter with Aux, 1997Pearl

Ashore: Maldon, Essex CM9 Asking Price: £9,950 GBP ...

10.5m Teak Bermudan Sloop, Francis Jones, 1960

Afloat :, Maylandsea, Essex CM3 Offer Price: £9,500 ...

24ft Tamarisk GRP Gaff Cutter, 1974, Pretty Kitty

Afloat : Maldon, Essex Price: £8,950 GBP ...

26ft Classic Canoe Yacht, J Pain Clark design, 1902.

Lying: Pin Mill, Suffolk Asking Price: £7,750 GBP ...

16ft Classic wooden Sailing Dinghy, 1890’s

Lying: West Mersea, Essex Asking Price: £6,750 GBP ...

16ft Salcombe Yawl, Day Sailer ,1982

Lying Ashore : Kirby Le Soken, Walton Backwaters, C013 Asking Price: £6500 GBP Complete ...

20ft Gaff Rigged Open Boat, Road trailer & outboard.

Ashore: Coddenham, Nr Ipswich, Suffolk. IP6 Price: £5,950 GBP ...

25ft Beneteau First 25,1981

Lying afloat: Heybridge Basin, nr. Maldon, Essex. CM9 Asking Price: £4,950 GBP ...

26ft Mystere Flyer, GRP fin keel sloop, 1983.

Ashore: Maylandsea, Essex, CM3 REDUCED to: £3,950 GBP ...

23ft Motor Fishing Boat, Parson’s of Leigh,1960

Afloat: Oare Creek, Nr Faversham REDUCED Asking Price: £3950 GBP ...

15ft 6ins Gaffers & Luggers, Picarooner GRP 1992, Isodora

Lying: Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 8AD Asking Price: £3,950 GBP ...

Hillyard 2.5t, with road trailer,1951, Carmen

Ashore: Faversham, Kent Asking Price: £2,950 GBP ...

+44(0)1803 833899

[email protected], motor yachts for sale, cruise in style with a classic motor yacht from classic yacht brokerage, classic motor yachts.

Discover the timeless charm of our vintage and classic motor yachts. Feel free to contact us for additional information on any stunning vessels showcased on our website. Your perfect voyage awaits!

ALSO BROWSE OUR CLASSIC YACHTS FOR SALE AND SMALL CLASSIC BOATS FOR SALE

Showing 1–12 of 18 results

Saga 20 Motor Launch

Fred Parker Motor Yacht

Liverpool Class RNLB

30′ Norfolk Broads Motor Cruiser

Converted Admiralty Motor Yacht

Fred Parker Twin Screw Motor Yacht

26′ Clinker Cabin Boat

48′ Rampart Motor Yacht

42ft. WARRINGTON-SMYTH CLASSIC MOTOR YACHT – 1957 – Lloyds 100A1 – 100hp Twin Perkins – Lying: River Thames

75ft. LUXURY BORETTI MOTOR-YACHT – 1984 – high-end specification – ten guests, plus crew – Lying: Spain

64ft. CLASSIC BENETTI ‘DOLPHIN’ MOTOR-YACHT – 1963 – Professionally Refitted – Immaculate Example – Lying: Italy

New Listing: 30ft OSBORNE MOTOR-LAUNCH – 1942 – Teak – 60hp Ford Diesel – Lying: River Avon

Are you considering selling your classic motor boat.

Please get in touch with us for an initial chat with our specialist broker.

We have joined forces with Wooden Ships to create a market-leading brokerage for all classic and traditional yachts and vessels throughout the UK and Europe.

BROWSE OUR ADDITIONAL CLASSIC YACHTS FOR SALE , CLASSIC MOTOR YACHTS FOR SALE AND SMALL BOATS FOR SALE AT WOODEN SHIPS.

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55.4m | Ailsa shipbuilding co. | 1902

LADY GOODGIRL

42.9m | Hall russell | 1964

34m | Hall russell | 1964

33.5m | Feadship | 1939

SEA MONSTER

32m | Custom | 1953

32m | Chantier de l'esterel | 1963

29m | Abeking & rasmussen | 1954

26.51m | Feadship | 1963

26m | Thetis ware | 1890

1960 CUSTOM CRUISER

25.9m | Custom | 1960

24.4m | Trumpy | 1955

24.38m | Trumpy | 1947

M/V UNION JACK 80 HERITAGE TUG

24.38m | Custom built | 1941

23m | De vries lentsch (dutch built) | 1958

CELEBRATION

22.85m | Trumpy | 1964

22.85m | Consolidated | 1930

22.5m | Feadship | 1964

22.25m | Henry hinckley | 1956

21.76m | John trumpy & sons | 1958

21.5m | Fife | 1936

19.81m | Tug | 1953

1940 CUSTOM BOAT HOUSE

19.2m | Custom | 1940

SILVER ROMANCE

17.68m | Silver yachts | 1956

16.38m | Luders | 1965

1963 CHRIS-CRAFT CONSTELLATION

15.84m | Chris-craft | 1963

1950 MONK DOUBLE CABIN CRUISER

14.32m | Monk | 1950

14.32m | Classic | 1930

1962 CHRIS-CRAFT CONSTELLATION

13.86m | Chris-craft | 1962

12.9m | Matthews | 1962

1955 COLIN ARCHER 42

12.8m | Colin archer | 1955

11.27m | Egg harbor | 1963

1930 BLANCHARD LAKE UNION DREAMBOAT

10.97m | Blanchard | 1930

10.97m | Constellation yachts | 1962

MISS CAROLINE

10.36m | Custom | 1952

1954 CHRIS-CRAFT COMMANDER

9.72m | Chris-craft | 1954

1961 BERTRAM 31

9.44m | Bertram | 1961

1932 GAR WOOD TRIPLE COCKPIT

8.53m | Gar wood | 1932

1932 HACKER-CRAFT TRIPLE COCKPIT

8.53m | Hacker craft co | 1932

1934 HISTORIC DODGE TRIPLE COCKPIT

8.05m | #1 hull | 1934

1963 LYMAN SPORTSMAN

7.61m | Lyman | 1963

1940 GAR WOOD SEDAN

7.44m | Garwood | 1940

1940 CHRIS-CRAFT DELUXE RUNABOUT

7.01m | Chris-craft | 1940

1928 CHRIS-CRAFT CADET TRIPLE COCKPIT

6.7m | Chris-craft | 1928

1930 CHRIS-CRAFT TRIPLE COCKPIT RUNABOUT

6.7m | Chris-craft | 1930

6.47m | Century boats | 1965

1959 CENTURY CORONADO

6.4m | Century boats | 1959

1946 CHRIS-CRAFT CUSTOM RUNABOUT

6.09m | Chris-craft | 1946

1954 CHRIS-CRAFT KIT BOAT

4.26m | Chris-craft | 1954

If there are no brokerage yachts available on the market, you can get in touch with our brokers to find an off market one or build a new one. 

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Classic Boat brings buyers and sellers interested in classic and wooden boats together.

Whether you are interesting in buying a yacht, sailing boat or powerboat, enjoy browsing our selection of boats below, and remember to read our buying advice guide

Looking to sell your boat? E-mail [email protected] with your text and image or call +44 (0)207 349 3718

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Classic Boat is the magazine for the world’s most beautiful boats. Packed with stunning images, we have the inside stories of the great classic yachts and motorboats afloat today, as well as fascinating tales from yesteryear and the latest from the wooden boat building scene around the world.

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Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," they said. 

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coastguard official told Reuters.

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

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Chris Craft Replica Barrelback 19 Runabout

Newly built and launched in 2022 to original plans for the Chris Craft 19' Barrelback runabout. Plans from Glen-L of America. Superb construction using epoxy bonded cold moulded timber for a strong yet beautiful finish. Mercruiser V6 4.3 litre petrol engine. Boat finished with Jotun 2 part paints for a low maintenance and durable finish. Very elegant runabout complete with custom road trailer. In as new condition.

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Built by Dartmouth boat builders to an American design. This boat is being offered as a demonstration model with a view to obtaining commissions for further new build boats. The specification for a new build could be tailored to suit the commissioning owner, with a choice of engine sizes, layouts, systems and equipment. The benefit of building in wood with a small firm is that once the hull has ben built, all other areas of the design can be altered to suit the owner. A fast, stable sports boat with lots of space, very practical for families or groups and a real head turner. A new boat built to the owners specification with an engine is £55,000

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Designed and built by Fabian bush, a well respected very skilled boat builder. The boat was commissioned by a client but due to personal circumstances he is no longer able to take delivery and use the boat so she is being offered for sale as a brand new and complete vessel. Upon completion the boat was tested and certified under the RCD scheme and put afloat for sea trials, but otherwise she has been dry stored and unused. built using modern construction methods of epoxy glued plywood planking making her very durable and easy to maintain. complete with trailer covers and electric outboard engine this is an absolutely ready to go trailer sailer in as new condition.

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20′ Nick Smith Clinker Motor Launch

Clinker motor launch built by the well respected Nick Smith of Salcombe in 2004. Her design is based on the traditional Salcombe bass fishing boat with straight stem and elegant sheer line. Powered by a Yanmar 2YM 15p diesel, fitted new in 2008. Comes with a good quality road trailer and all over cover. A very striking launch in good condition and well equipped.

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19′ Fast Harbour Launch

Built in 2013 to plans from a 1920's Motor Boat Manual for a general duties harbour launch. Built using wood epoxy construction with a Mercruiser 135hp petrol engine. She will reach in excess of 25 knots but is equally capable of slow speeds with little wash for river use. A large spacious cockpit with seating fore and aft makes her a good family day boat. Complete with all over cover and road trailer.

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Oystercatcher 16 gaff cutter designed and built by Mayfly Classic Boats of Cornwall in 1993. These are traditional long keeled boats with pretty lines built in GRP. The 16 is a trailer sailer boat offering easy launching and recovery with the clever piggy back trailer. Accommodation gives 2 comfortable berths with sitting headroom plus a heads and galley, packing a lot of boat into her 16' length. This boat has been upgraded and improved in the last 2 years and is in very nice ready to go condition. A lovely little boat, well equipped and ready to sail.

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September 5th 2022

How to sell a classic yacht – 10 things to expect from your broker.   Selling a classic yacht can be daunting, but working with a broker can simp…

Mike Lynch won a dramatic 12-year legal battle over his tech company. Weeks later, he and his top lawyer are dead.

• Mike Lynch won an unexpected jury acquittal after a dramatic 12-year legal saga.
• HP accused him of cooking the books of his company Autonomy to make it seem worth billions more.
• He finally won — and then he, his lawyer, and his codefendant all died within days.

In 2011, Mike Lynch was the toast of the tech world.

Hailed as Britain's Bill Gates, Lynch sold Autonomy, his groundbreaking data-management company, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

Shareholders and business commentators were puzzled about what HP, a hardware company, would do with Autonomy, a software company — and why the latter was worth $11 billion. HP's executives said at the time that Autonomy had the potential to transform HP and usher the Silicon Valley titan into a new generation.

None of that happened. A year after the acquisition, HP wrote down $8.8 billion of the purchase value and accused Lynch of lying about Autonomy's finances.

The claim led to a vicious decadelong series of legal disputes.

Another Autonomy executive, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison. Federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain, the company's former vice president of finance.

Lynch's court battles concluded with a three-month criminal trial in San Francisco. After just two days of deliberation, jurors found Lynch and Chamberlain not guilty on all counts.

"The truth has finally prevailed," his lawyer Chris Morvillo said.

Within months, Lynch, Chamberlain, and Morvillo were all dead.

A takeover doomed from the start

Lynch, who studied neural networks for his Ph.D. at Cambridge University, spun off Autonomy from a previous company, Cambridge Neurodynamics, in 1996.

Using sophisticated algorithms, Autonomy allowed users to organize and search through large amounts of unstructured data. It was a bright spot in Britain's tech industry and was listed on the country's stock-market index.

Autonomy's clients included Oracle, Adobe, Cisco, AT&T, and HP itself. But HP's purchase of Autonomy was controversial.

The hardware company's CEO, Léo Apotheker , who had been in the position for less than a year, tried to shift the company's direction. HP had struggled to sell printers and servers as part of its traditional hardware business. Apotheker wanted to spin off HP's personal-computing division and make a big bet on moving the company into software, which had higher margins.

Analysts hated the idea. Shareholders sued. HP's value dropped by more than half. The company's board fired Apotheker within weeks of the decision to buy Autonomy, before the deal even closed.

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His successor, Meg Whitman, fired Lynch and wrote down the value of Autonomy by $8.8 billion, which indicated HP paid nearly four times what it should have. The New York Times columnist James B. Stewart floated the case that it was the worst acquisition in corporate history — even worse than AOL's ill-fated purchase of Time Warner.

In a stunning move, HP accused Lynch of fraud the following year. The company alleged he and Hussain, a former CFO, inflated Autonomy's sales figures. The FBI and the UK's Serious Fraud Office both opened investigations.

Lynch fervently denied accusations of wrongdoing. He pointed out that Autonomy was audited by Deloitte, which hadn't found issues. Lynch said HP stifled Autonomy with mismanagement and bureaucracy that pushed out employees and stymied sales.

The culture at HP, he said, was poisonous.

"It was like boarding a plane, realizing the engine is on fire, and then going up to the cockpit only to find that the pilots are having a fight," he told The Telegraph at the time .

According to The New York Times, lawyers representing shareholders in the lawsuit against HP obtained a copy of the company's own KPMG-prepared due-diligence report. The report said that Autonomy wasn't transparent enough with its finances, but Apotheker moved forward with the takeover anyway, deciding that Autonomy's potential was worth it.

A legal morass

The UK's Serious Fraud Office announced in January 2015 that it closed its investigation into Autonomy, finding insufficient evidence for legal action, though it referred some issues to the US Justice Department.

In the subsequent months, HP and Lynch sued each other in the UK. As those cases wound their way through the British court system, US prosecutors continued investigating HP's purchase of Autonomy. In 2016, they brought fraud charges against Hussain, who was found guilty in a 2018 jury trial. British regulators formally barred him from the financial industry earlier this year after he completed a five-year sentence in the US.

HP unloaded Autonomy altogether, selling parts of it in 2016 and 2017.

In November 2018, Justice Department prosecutors went directly after Lynch and Chamberlain.

Their indictment accused Lynch and Chamberlain of falsifying financial documents, lying to auditors and regulators, and suppressing the voices of people who criticized Autonomy's financial practices.

Lynch was no longer looking at civil fights over money. He was facing the prospect of up to 20 years in prison.

For years, Lynch fought extradition to the US. Powerful in British political circles — he had advised David Cameron when Cameron was prime minister and served on the boards of the BBC and the British Museum — he and his lawyers argued that his legal issues should play out in the UK, not the US. American criminal laws were unfairly stacked against him, his lawyers said.

HP's lawsuit against Lynch — still churning in the background — finally went to trial in 2019. Apotheker testified he would have abandoned the Autonomy acquisition if he had a better understanding of its finances. Lynch argued that the whole morass was orchestrated by Whitman, Apotheker's successor, who harbored political ambitions (she ran for governor in California and is currently the US ambassador to Kenya) and wanted to shift the blame for Autonomy's failures to someone else.

Robert Hildyard, the judge who oversaw the case, ruled mostly in HP's favor. In a 2022 decision that ran over 1,700 pages, he wrote that HP overpaid for Autonomy because of deceit from Lynch and Hussain. Hildyard hadn't yet decided how much they would owe in damages, but he wrote it would be "substantially less" than the $5 billion HP asked for.

When he wasn't fighting legal battles, Lynch continued to be an entrepreneur. He founded a venture-capital firm, Invoke Capital, and invested in and helped run the cybersecurity firm Darktrace, which,  Politico reported, has deep ties  to Britain's intelligence agencies.

Financial disclosures Lynch filed last year as part of his criminal case indicated he was worth about $450 million.

The criminal trial

The UK finally extradited Lynch to the US in May 2023 , where he prepared for his trial — alongside Chamberlain as a codefendant — while under house arrest in San Francisco.

Lynch had a top-shelf legal team, but after the British court loss and Hussain's conviction, the chances of an acquittal seemed bleak.

Lynch testified at the end of his three-month trial, which began in March, telling jurors he wasn't involved in day-to-day financial oversight of the company. Misunderstandings, he said, could be chalked up to the differences between British and American accounting practices.

"A lot of what we've been looking at is like peering through the door of a kitchen and seeing the sausage-making machine, and that's how it really works," he told jurors, according to The Times of London . "If you take the microscope into even the most spotless kitchen, you'd find bacteria. If it wasn't there, that'd be something very abnormal. I don't think Autonomy was any different."

Jurors believed him. In June, they declared Lynch not guilty of the 15 charges against him, clearing Chamberlain as well.

Morvillo, one of Lynch's lawyers in the trial — as well as in the preceding decade of legal disputes — praised the jury, saying it had rejected "the government's profound overreach in this case."

"This verdict closes the book on a relentless 13-year effort to pin HP's well-documented ineptitude on Dr. Lynch," Morvillo said in a joint statement with his attorney colleague Brian Heberlig. "Thankfully, the truth has finally prevailed."

In an interview with The Times of London after the trial , Lynch reflected on how, with a great burden lifted off him at the age of 59, he could remake his life.

He mourned the deaths of his brother and mother, who both died ahead of the criminal trial. He mused about using his fortune to start a British version of the Innocence Project, which prevents wrongful convictions in the US.

"Now you have a second life," he told The Times. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

But first, a celebration. Lynch; his wife, Angela Bacares; one of his two daughters; Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and several others went on a superyacht, the Bayesian , which was anchored outside Sicily and owned by Bacares.

Chamberlain moved back to the UK. While running near his home, a driver hit him with a car . He died in a hospital on Saturday.

On Monday, a sudden storm struck the Bayesian. The yacht capsized.

Of its 22 passengers, 15, including Bacares, were rescued.

But rescuers have pulled five bodies from the wreckage, including Morvillo's and Lynch's . A sixth remains trapped inside the boat. Lynch's daughter Hannah remains missing.

Correction: August 22, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misnamed Lynch's lawyer. His name was Chris Morvillo, not Charles Morvillo.

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Search Resumes for British Mogul and 5 Others After Yacht Sinks Off Sicily

The body of the vessel’s cook was recovered while divers searched the hull of the Bayesian for passengers, including the tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.

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By Elisabetta Povoledo

Deep-sea divers with Italy’s firefighter corps resumed their search on Tuesday for six missing passengers — including a British software mogul and his daughter — of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily the previous day.

Twenty-two people were on board the 180-foot British-flagged sailing yacht, the Bayesian, which was anchored near the port of Porticello, when it was hit by what witnesses described as a waterspout, a small tornado on water, during a sudden and violent storm.

Fifteen people who managed to get to a raft were rescued by the captain of a nearby sailing cruise ship. The body of the yacht’s cook, identified by news outlets as Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan, was recovered on Monday. But several people are still unaccounted for, according to Salvatore Cocina, an official with Sicily’s civil protection agency.

Those still missing are Mike Lynch, a British technology entrepreneur; his daughter Hannah; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Mr. Lynch was acquitted of fraud in a U.S. trial in June, ending a high-profile, decadelong legal battle against accusations that he had defrauded Hewlett-Packard when he sold his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett for $11 billion.

Mr. Lynch and the others went missing days after Mr. Lynch’s co-defendant at the fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Autonomy, was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out for a run, his lawyer, Gary S. Lincenberg, said in a statement.

Prosecutors in the Italian city of Termini Imerese, east of where the yacht sank, are opening a formal investigation into the yacht’s sinking. Reached by telephone, the chief prosecutor declined to comment.

The search for the missing passengers began on Monday but was suspended late that night as crews found themselves limited to the bridge deck and items like furnishings “obstructing passage,” the firefighters’ corps wrote on social media .

When divers resumed the search on Tuesday, ships trawled the waters near the site, the corps said in a statement. The Italian Coast Guard also said in a statement that search operations were “continuing unabated,” with the deployment of helicopters. There was no evidence that gasoline was leaking from the yacht, the Coast Guard said.

The yacht was lying on its right side in about 165 feet of water, meaning that divers, working in pairs, could stay underwater for only about 12 minutes at a time, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the firefighters’ corps.

Divers were seeking a safe point of access to the vessel’s cabins. “Obviously, everything fell and the space is very tight,” Mr. Cari said, adding that the divers were having to remove obstacles, like furnishings and electrical wiring, that were “completely blocking passages.”

The firefighters’ corps said in a statement that it was impossible to verify whether people were inside the hull.

Mr. Cari said that several divers had been part of the search-and-rescue operations when the Costa Concordia, a cruise liner, capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in 2012, killing 32 people. It is considered one of the worst maritime disasters in modern Italian history.

“It’s like the Costa Concordia, but much smaller,” Mr. Cari said in a telephone interview, comparing the search operations. “In the Costa Concordia, we came across many obstacles but we somehow were able to overcome them. Here, the obstacles block the passages and have to be removed.” He added, “This makes it more difficult.”

Crews were also trying to raise the yacht, which experts will examine to try to determine why it sank. Until then, experts can only hypothesize what happened.

Karsten Borner, the captain of a ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which picked up the Bayesian’s 15 survivors, said in an interview that when the wind picked up around 4 a.m. Monday, the Bayesian was about 490 feet behind his vessel. Once the wind wound down, he said, he could not see the yacht anymore.

“My theory was that she was capsized first and then went down over the stern,” Mr. Borner said.

Dario Boote, a ship structures and naval architecture professor at the University of Genoa, said: “Now I imagine that a whole series of lawsuits will be triggered, obviously to ascertain whether there is any responsibility, as always happens very unpleasantly in these situations.” He said, however, that in this case, responsibility might be hard to determine. “Clearly, only once the wreck is raised will we know more,” he added.

Several fishermen told Italian news outlets that they had witnessed a waterspout. Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, said they were relatively common in the Mediterranean, though their occurrence and intensity are unpredictable.

“Until one actually forms, you can’t start telling people where it is,” Mr. Inness said, or “how to get out of the way.”

The inclement weather — with lightning intermittently streaking through the sky — made it hard to know exactly why the yacht sank. Col. Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said the agency had registered intense lightning activity and strong gusts of wind in the area at the time the boat sank.

The Bayesian had one of the tallest aluminum masts in the world, according to its builder, Perini Navi. “Having a tall aluminum mast would not make it the safest port to be in case of a storm,” said Andrea Ratti, associate professor of nautical design and architecture technology the Politecnico di Milano. The type of intensity unleashed by a violent lightning storm “could have created a significant shock wave,” he added.

He, too, cautioned that “a lot of questions will remain until we have other elements at our disposal.”

Modern yachts are built to withstand meteorological events of reasonable intensity, and all international naval registers suggest that new ships be designed for higher waves and more frequent and extreme weather events.

But “this seems a case of an unreasonable extreme event,” said Emilio Fortunato Campana, an expert in Naval Hydrodynamics at Italy’s National Research Council. “In that case, no ship is 100 percent safe,” he added. “I think the Titanic showed that nothing is unsinkable.”

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo