Six people are still missing, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Morgan Stanley International’s chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, after the luxury sail yacht they were holidaying on, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
The 56-metre Bayesian, a luxurious sail yacht owned by Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, is believed to have been struck by a waterspout, a rare type of tornado that forms over water, at around 5am on Monday 19th August.
At the time that the storm hit, the vessel was anchored off the coast of the Sicilian town of Porticello, found around 20km east of the regional capital of Palermo. In comments to local press teams, a fisherman from the town said that the tornado lasted for around “10 minutes with strong winds and rain”.
“We saw a flare 500 meters from the dock,” he told the media. “We went to see what had happened. We only saw the floating debris of the boat. We immediately called the Coast Guard. The sea was terrible. The wind very strong… The vessel was hit head-on. I thought I would find someone in the sea. but nothing. The boat had disappeared from the radar.”
The captain of another yacht moored nearby has shared a similar story.
“We were also awakened by the storm,” Karsten Borner told a reporter for The Guardian. “The first thing I did was to start the engines of my sailboat to give more stability to the vessel. I don’t know if the Bayesian did the same. It seems like they were also suddenly caught by the storm. After securing our boat, we immediately approached the Bayesian, but it had already sunk. I have never seen a vessel of this size go down so quickly. Within a few minutes, there was nothing left. Then we saw the raft with the 15 passengers. It was a tragedy.”
22 people onboard
It has been widely reported that there were 22 people onboard -12 passengers and 10 crew – when the yacht sank. 15 were rescued from a life raft in the aftermath by the yacht captained by Borner, including nine of the crew members, a one-year-old baby and her parents.
According to press reports, the body of the yacht’s chef was retrieved from the water in the hours after the disaster, but a further six people remain missing.
Among those still unaccounted for are: Mike Lynch, the UK tech billionaire behind software company Autonomy; his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch; the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; and Chris Morvillo, a US lawyer for Clifford Chance who represented Lynch during the US trial pertaining to his sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11bn (€9.9bn). Lynch had been accused of fraud on multiple accounts, but was acquitted in June. The sixth missing person is yet to be identified.
Difficult search
Divers were brought in to search for those still missing as the weather cleared on Monday.
According to local media reports, the “practically intact” vessel is understood to be resting on the seafloor, 48 metres down. A combination of the depth, tight onboard spaces and diving time constraints is hampering search efforts.
“They [the divers] can stay underwater for a maximum of 12 minutes, two of which are needed to go up and down,” an emergency responder told Italian daily newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, as reported by Sky News, “so the real time to be able to carry out the search is 10 minutes per dive… The spaces inside the sailing ship are very small and if you encounter an obstacle, it is very complicated to move forward, just as it is very difficult to find alternative routes.”
As of 1.30pm local time, media teams on location were reporting that an operation was underway to make an opening in the yacht’s stern in a bid to establish better access to the interior of the vessel.
Odd coincidence
The sinking of the ship happened just two days after Stephen Chamberlain, Lynch’s co-defendant in a decade-long US trial linked to the sale of Autonomy, was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire in the UK. He was put on life support following the crash, but has since passed away.
ZIA, the creative pop-up restaurant that has been serving diners in the Odyssey area of the five-star Hôtel Métropole with experimental pizza and dessert concepts all summer long, has announced that it will be continuing its evening service until the end of next month.
Since opening on 12th June, the ZIA pizza pop-up, led by chefs Manon Santini and Rocco Seminara, has been enchanting guests of the hotel and visitors with its unique blend of traditional Italian flavours and modern culinary techniques.
The ZIA concept, which had been due to wrap up at the end of August, has proved so popular that the Hôtel Métropole has decided to extend the restaurant’s evening tenure of the Odyssey’s garden space by a full extra month.
ZIA’s menu features classics, such as the Margherita and Napolitana, alongside more inventive and unusual pizzas, like the avocado, truffle and caviar pizza creations.
The desserts also stand out. Chef Santini, who won a World Champion Pizza Dessert title in 2019, has designed an array of sweet treats, with two guest favourites being the strawberry-pistachio pizza and the Piedmont chocolate hazelnut plate.
The strawberry and pistachio dessert pizza. Photo credit: Matthieu Cellard
All dishes celebrate high-quality, Italy-sourced ingredients and are made with dough prepared and left to rest for 48 to 72 hours.
The restaurant will be open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday until 28th September.
A new study released by ISGlobal has laid the blame for 50,000 deaths in Europe in 2023 on the exceptionally high temperatures experienced by the region last summer. Greece’s population was worst hit by the extreme conditions, followed by Italy and Spain.
According to a recently published study by ISGlobal, a Barcelona-based scientific research and knowledge transfer centre dedicated to global health, 50,000 Europeans died as a result of excessive heat fuelled by carbon emissions and other pollutants in 2023.
The Greeks suffered the most heat-related loss of life, with 393 recorded deaths per million people. Italy was next highest with 209, followed by Spain, which noted 175 such deaths per million.
These shocking mortality rates could have been 80% higher, say the authors of the study, which was published by Nature Medicine, if local populations hadn’t adapted to rising temperatures over the past two decades. For example, Europe’s 2003 heatwaves are believed to have caused in excess of 70,000 deaths and are considered one of Europe’s most glaring health related disasters.
“But the number of heat-related deaths [in 2023] is still too high,” warned Elisa Gallo, an environmental epidemiologist at ISGlobal and the lead author of the study, in comments to The Guardian. “Europe is warming at twice the rate of the global average – we can’t rest on our laurels.”
The European continent is a notable climatic hotspot, given that warming since preindustrial levels is almost 1 °C higher than the corresponding global increase. Rates here are also the highest of all other continents.
Across the continent, from its northern reaches to its Mediterranean shores, governments are looking at measures to further reduce heat-related health risks in future. These include designing cities with less concrete and more green spaces, establishing heatwave early warning systems and putting healthcare professionals on alert as temperatures soar to prevent the overloading of national health services.
Combined with populations doing more to ensure their own safety, adopting habits such as staying indoors during the hottest parts of the day and drinking more water, authorities will be no doubt hoping that the figures from 2024 will be less severe.
“More work is needed to adapt to climate change and mitigate the rise in temperatures,” concluded Gallo in her comments. “Climate change needs to be considered as a health issue.”
Monaco’s Marché de la Condamine will be holding its annual Bal du Marché, a community celebration for local families, in mid-September. Here are all the details.
On the evening of Saturday 14th September, the Condamine Market near Place d’Armes will replace its usual fruit and vegetable stalls with picnic benches and a whole host of family-friendly games and attractions as the local community comes together for the ever-popular Bal du Marché.
Outside, there will be live music from the Benty Brothers, while inside in the food hall, vendors will be dishing up delightful meals for all to enjoy.
The party starts at 7pm, and reservations are required as space is limited.
To book a spot, speak with any one of the market’s shopkeepers. Further information can be found here.
In this insightful interview, Monaco Life discusses with Helga Piaget, CEO of Passion Sea, how water conservation efforts are being transformed through innovative education, inspiring youth and tackling marine pollution.
Water is a fundamental resource essential to all life on earth, yet its conservation remains a pressing issue. Addressing the challenges of water quality and availability requires a multifaceted approach that spans personal health, home practices and global environmental concerns.
Passion Sea, a Monaco-based non-profit organisation founded in 2015, is actively involved in advancing these efforts through its focused initiatives on water conservation.
As Helga Piaget, CEO and Development Director of Passion Sea, tells Monaco Life, “The rivers, lakes, seas and oceans are vital for our survival on Planet Earth, they are our responsibility. Preventing any further damage must be our priority and duty.”
Helga Piaget, CEO and Development Director of Passion Sea. Photo supplied
Passion Sea’s main objectives are to raise awareness among the younger generations of the importance of preserving, respecting and protecting the waters.
“The world must cherish the waters and keep them clean for our health and the health of our planet,” says Piaget. “We try to spread this message to a wide audience through events and media around the globe.”
Protecting ocean health
Marine pollution represents a severe threat to water quality and ecosystem health, and was also the catalyst for Piaget’s journey into water conservation.
“In Monaco, the Mediterranean Sea is part of our daily lives. Walking next to the beaches, I witnessed a huge amount of trash being washed on to the shore. It breaks my heart and shocks me to see the sea treated so disrespectfully by humans, who are entirely unaware of how dangerous their actions are for themselves and future generations,” says Piaget.
The oceans are integral to regulating the earth’s climate and providing oxygen, absorbing a significant portion of global carbon dioxide emissions. However, pollution from oil spills, plastic waste and other sources disrupt these essential functions and threaten marine life.
Passion Sea’s efforts include raising awareness about marine pollution and supporting clean-up initiatives. By focusing on the challenges of marine pollution, they contribute to protecting and preserving vital water resources.
In 2021, the organisation launched the Passion Sea Flag initiative, a campaign designed to raise awareness and promote responsible behaviours linked to ocean conservation. By flying the Passion Sea Flag on yachts or tenders, participants pledge to respect and protect the oceans by reducing plastic use, properly managing waste, respecting marine protected areas and cleaning up trash encountered at sea.
Children’s art as a voice for water conservation
Education is crucial in promoting water conservation, and Piaget describes how Passion Sea is at the forefront of this effort. The organisation’s programmes aim to teach children and communities about water’s properties, its role in the environment and the impacts of pollution, as well as instilling a culture of awareness and responsibility, through creative projects.
The most rewarding experience for Piaget since starting Passion Sea was working with young children in schools worldwide.
“Children are like sponges; they are excited to learn and interact with us,” she explains. “We always bring them new, fun and exciting creative projects to discover more knowledge about water in their community.”
“Art is a way to express our vision of the world and relate our experiences to others,” says Helga Piaget. Photo supplied
One such project is the Passion Sea Children World Flag, an example of which can be seen above, which brings together children under the common goal by expressing their thoughts on water. The children spend hours, or sometimes weeks, with their teacher to create an artwork representing their thoughts about water in their country.
Piaget tells Monaco Life, “The results are breathtaking. Art is a universal tool and language. Children in their evolutionary stages need to stimulate the creative part of their brain. Art is a way to express our vision of the world and relate our experiences to others.”
Another similar creative initiative was the Immersion into Water Crystals workshop, organised in 2022 at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The workshop focused on the Poles and snowflakes, allowing children to craft their unique snowflakes while learning about the connections between water, vibrations and the formation of water crystals.
Highlight of the mission
The project that Piaget is particularly proud of is a coffee table book titled Water is Life, Thoughts of Our Generation. Combining pieces of art and poetry with words of wisdom from celebrities, athletes, musicians, artists and scientists, the book celebrates the vision of water in the 21st century.
“This work of art created by my daughter Fiona is certainly a highlight of our mission,” Piaget says proudly.
The book includes messages from Prince Albert II of Monaco, renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, basketball legend Michael Jordan and Beatles drummer Ringo Star. These celebrity messages were featured alongside input from scientists such as: Dr. Masaru Emoto, a pseudoscientist; Dr. Gérald H Pollack, a biomedical engineer; Jean-Michel Cousteau, the famed oceanographer; and John Englander, also an oceanographer.
Each person involved shared their unique vision and perspective while children added the colour to the message.
Piaget states, “We are grateful for everyone involved in the process. The book’s positive outlook gives hope and makes you understand how we are all connected through this amazing blue element.”
Overcoming challenges
Water conservation faces several challenges that stem from various sources. Increasing global populations and urbanisation lead to higher water demand, stressing existing resources.
“Many people think that nothing can be done, as, unfortunately, industry is more concerned about monetary results than any conservation of our waters,” says Piaget.
Additionally, pollution from industrial activities and agricultural run-off contaminates freshwater supplies, reducing the availability of clean water.
Piaget uses plastic as an example, saying, “Plastic, a new invention, was welcomed with great enthusiasm until we understood that the trash resulting from this material is life-threatening for us and our planet. People don’t understand how mistreating water is mistreating ourselves, our homes and our world. Many schools where we wanted to implement our educational programmes were not willing to give time to this subject. Fortunately, we are not giving up and we will find the right, open minded educational institutions to work with.”
When asked how she stays motivated with all these challenges ahead, she says, “I’m a very positive person, and I don’t take a ‘no’ for an answer. Fighting to accomplish my goals even gives me more strength.”
Inspiring future generations
Piaget has two children and a grandchild to whom she wants to transmit her passion.
“Children are the young generation, the leaders of tomorrow’s world. Together with them, we can start creating long-lasting changes,” she says.
She also has a message of advice for the future generation: “Young people must first learn to respect themselves, their family and friends before being able to respect their environment. They must get to the point of loving nature and wish to preserve it, even to make it a better place. Every one of their actions, as small as it might look, is a step towards a healthier planet and should be encouraged.”
Regarding future initiatives for Passion Sea, Piaget says, “We certainly will continue focusing on surging water problems, restoring water quality on our planet through education, art and innovative solutions.”
“We will also print a new version of our book: Water is Life, Thoughts of our Generation. In September’s we will team up with the Novotel Hotel for the World clean up day with an interesting recycling initiative. In December, according to our mission we will present the first edition of a new project in the Hotel Métropole in Monaco and an exhibition of the most beautiful world water flags …..to share our educational efforts and passion for clean waters with the public.
As Nelson Mandela said, education is the strongest weapon for changing the world.”
The sea surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea reached an all-time high last week, beating the previous record set during the summer of 2023 to hit 28.9°C.
For the second consecutive summer, the Mediterranean Sea has breached the 28.25°C mark, a long-standing temperature record set in 2003, during one of the hottest summers in the Mediterranean Basin since records began.
In July 2023, a new record median sea surface temperature was set at 28.71ºC, but scientists at Spain’s largest marine sciences institute have now reported that this figure was surpassed in mid-August 2024.
“The maximum temperature on 15th August was attained on the Egyptian coast at El-Arish (31.96ºC),” said Justino Martinez, a researcher at the Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona and the Catalan Institute of Research for the Governance of the Sea in comments to AFP.
He added, “The maximum sea surface temperature record was [also] broken in the Mediterranean Sea… with a daily median of 28.90ºC.”
Local highs
In early August, a Météo-France marine weather buoy recorded sea surface temperatures in the waters between Nice and Calvi of over 30°C – a full 4°C above the seasonal average for this zone.
“30°C is serious,” Jean-Pierre Gattuso, the CNRS Research Director at the Villefranche-sur-Mer Oceanography Laboratory and a co-author of an IPCC report on climate change, told France Bleu Azur. “It’s not a surprise; the increase in the frequency of marine heatwaves was predicted by the IPCC. In 2019, we published a report showing that if we continue to emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at the current rate, these marine heatwaves will occur 50 times more frequently.”
According to data published by the United Nations’ Environment Programme, the Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average. Indeed, the water temperature in the Basin is expected to rise by between 1.8°C and 3.5°C by 2100, with already identified hotspots in Spain and in the Eastern Mediterranean.
