Bayesian yacht's tragic final voyage: How Mike Lynch's luxury vessel sailed from Rotterdam before passing Gibraltar on its way to Mediterranean before her doomed final stop in Sicilian port

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's award-winning luxury superyacht roamed around Europe's warm waters for days on its way to her doomed final stop in Sicily. 

The £30million Bayesian, formerly known as the Salute, was being sailed in celebration of the 59-year-old recent acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US. 

He had invited his family, along with his legal team and guests from his venture capital firm Invoke, to join him on the yacht to toast to his 'second life' after almost a year under house arrest.

The yacht had sailed from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, making its way past several European countries including Belgium, France, the UK, Spain and Portugal before passing through the Strait of Gibraltar last week, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. 

Passing by Morocco's most northern major city, Tangiers, as it went from the north Atlantic to the Alboran Sea, the Bayesian, a 56m long vessel built in Viareggio, Tuscany, by luxury shipmaker Perini Navi in 2008, then passed Algeria, Tunisia and the Italian island of Sardiania before heading towards Sicily. 

The last port it docked in before it sank on Monday was in Milazzo, on the east of the island of Sicily. 

The Bayesian reached Milazzo, often used as a hub for travelling to the idyllic Aeolian Islands, the day before Ferragosto, a public holiday on August 15 with roots in the Roman Empire. 

Ferragosto, established by the Roman emperor Augustus in 18 BC, celebrates the end of weeks of what would've been arduous work in fields. Italians typically do not work, an instead head to the beach to cool off in the height of summer. 

During this period of national rest, the Bayesian sat in port waiting to be refuelled and restocked. 

The vessel then meandered down Sicily's northern coast, inching closer and closer to its final destination of Porticello. 

The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight on Sunday.

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, 57, who was among the rescued recalls the boat suddenly 'tilted' at around 4am, before glass began shattering.

The superyacht had been lit up and illuminating the night sky when a waterspout - a whirling column of air and water mist - unfolded nearby.

Witnesses have described the moment the yacht went down as very sudden, claiming it was as if it just 'disappeared'.

'The boat was all lit up. Around 4.30am, it was no longer there,' said one.

'A normal joyous vacation day at sea turned into tragedy'.

Fisherman Pietro Asciutto said: 'I was at home when the waterspout hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I saw it sink suddenly'.

The Italian Coastguard said in a statement that a nearby boat offered assistance to people before emergency services arrived.

The Sir Robert BP, a Dutch sailing ship which had been anchored by the Bayesian, is believed to have rescued the 15 survivors.

Karsten Borner, the captain of the boat, described how his vessel was battered by strong gusts, with his team working to stabilise it and manoeuvre it to avoid hitting the Bayesian nearby.

Borner told the BBC: 'After the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone.'

Fisherman Fabio Cefalù said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4.30am and immediately set out to the site but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.

'But for the rest, we didn't find anyone,' he said from the port hours later. He said that he immediately alerted the coast guard and stayed on-site for three hours, but didn't find any survivors. 'I think they are inside, all the missing people.'

Mr Lynch is among six people missing.

His wife tragically revealed on Monday that not just her husband was missing after the yacht sank, but also their 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Hannah completed her A-levels this summer and had secured a place to study English Literature at Oxford University, according to the Times.

Two more passengers on board the Bayesian who are still missing are the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer and his wife.

Mr Bloomer is a close friend of Mr Lynch and was confirmed missing by Italian Authorities alongside his wife.

According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Bloomer is the chairman of insurance provider Hiscox and was formerly the chief executive of Prudential before being ousted in a boardroom coup in 2005.

The other two yet to be found are Mr Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Nada.

Attorney Gary Lincenberg said Morvillo and his wife 'are presumed to be passed away' after the yacht went down near Sicily.

Mr Lincenberg told Business Insider that 'Chris and his wife are gone'.

Tragically, the body of a man was found floating alongside the sunken vessel on Monday.

Authorities identified the man as Canadian Ricardo Thomas, who was working as the boat's chef and was the only crew member unaccounted for.

His body was recovered, and police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 163 feet off Porticello where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said.