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This is the Dynasty, the first megayacht to overwinter at Malaga's marina for luxury craft

The vessel is valued at an eye-watering 200 million dollars and it will be docked in the city until spring 2024, while it undergoes maintenance.

Ignacio Lillo

Monday, 16 October 2023 | Updated 17/10/2023 11:09h.

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It's name is I Dynasty and it is a 101-metre superyacht that has just anchored at the Port of Malaga and will remain there for the whole winter.

It's the first luxury vessel scheduled to spend the cooler months in the Marqués de Guadiaro basin, the reformed area in the city port for luxury craft and megayachts. The marina was designed and built several years ago to receive large vessels and provide them with the necessary services during the low season, such as high-power electrical connections.

The I Dynasty, with a crew of 30, is scheduled to remain in Malaga throughout the autumn and winter, until the spring of 2024, according to port sources.

Business opportunities

The megayacht will undergo maintenance throughout the winter, for which the concessionaire of the marina, IGY Málaga Marina, is looking for various suppliers in the province which specialise in various technical tasks.

Maintenance required may include sanding, hull painting, welding, electrical, mechanics, carpentry and plumbing. IGY Málaga Marina is creating a database of interested companies, for which they ask anyone interested to contact them directly.

The I Dynasty is a modern megayacht built in 2015 on behalf of Alijan Ibragimov, a billionaire from Kazakhstan. He is the co-founder of the multinational Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) and is involved in diversified natural resources such as mining, processing, energy and logistics. Its owner died in February 2021, reportedly due to Covid-19.

The vessel was built at the Kusch Yachts shipyard in Germany, with interior design by Massari Design. It can accommodate 22 guests in 11 luxury cabins; and 30 crew in another 15 cabins. Among its features, it has a 30-square-metre indoor swimming pool, which also serves as a dock for dinghies and pleasure boats.

The ship is powered by a Rolls-Royce diesel-electric propulsion system, with a top speed of 17 knots, and a cruising speed of 14 knots. It has a range of 6,500 nautical miles (about 12,000 kilometres), making it particularly suitable for journeys between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. It is valued at around 200 million dollars, with maintenance costs estimated at 15 to 20 million dollars a year.

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I DYNASTY Yacht – World-class $200M Superyacht

The owner commissioned the yacht to be a cozy family yacht with elegant and luxurious features.

Her interior was designed by Studio Massari and displays exterior design and naval architecture from The A Group. She was built by Kusch Yachts and delivered in 2015.

I DYNASTY yacht interior

The interior of the I DYNASTY is designed by Studio Massari, a luxury Italian designer. The designs are lavish and the epitome of opulence with warm honey-colored woods, and honor classical design motifs.

The owner’s brief for the interior was a cozy family yacht with a “wow” factor. She has accommodation for 22 guests in 11 suites, with cabin space for 30 crew in 15 cabins.

The interior of the I DYNASTY yacht offers features for guests to enjoy such as a beauty salon, and a beach club for the perfect indoor/outdoor experience on the water level.

The swimming pool on board is expansive and is a stunning feature that the guests on board can enjoy.

There are multiple places on-board for the above-average number of guests to enjoy together, from the expansive salon to the beach club below.

The exterior of the I DYNASTY yacht was designed by The A Group and built by  Kusch Yachts . She was delivered in 2015.

The I DYNASTY yacht was built to the larger PYC specification so that the owner could regularly cruise with more than 12 people on board.

PYC specifications were a new standard when the yacht was designed, meaning that she was stunning but complicated to conceptualize.

The exterior of the impressive and sleek yacht features an underwater light display.

Specifications

The I DYNASTY is a 100m yacht with a draft of 6m and a beam of 16.85m. She has a displacement of 4437 gross tons and a range of 7000 nautical miles.

She reaches a top speed of 17 knots with a cruising speed of 14 knots. She is powered by a Rolls Royce diesel-electric propulsion package engine.

Her Dynamic Positioning System allows her to remain in a single position without the need for anchors.

The I DYNASTY is the second-largest yacht delivered by Kusch and the $200 million has an annual running cost of $15 – $20 million.

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If you have any questions about the I Dynasty information page below please contact us .

Constructed by the German builder Kusch Yachts, the 101m motor yacht I Dynasty (Project V853, hull number 691) by Vega Yachts is a massive displacement vessel, launched in 2014. Featuring beautiful interior by Studio Massari, superyacht I Dynasty (Project V853, hull number 691) naval architecture as well as exterior are by The A Group.

I Dynasty Specifications

The impressive number of 22 guests can find the lovely and comfortable accommodation aboard the Vega Yachts V853 megayacht I Dynasty, offering 11 generous cabins. She carries a professional and friendly crew of 30, with additional space for 6 staff members.

Lloyds registered, the 101m (331') luxury yacht I Dynasty (project V853, hull number 691) has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. She can reach a top speed of 17 knots and can comfortably cruise at 14 knots, thanks to her twin 2,430 kW Rolls-Royce Bergen Auxiliary engines and three 740kW Caterpillar generators, which are connected to twin Rolls Royce AZP 100 FP azimuthing pulling propellers. V853 yacht features a beam of 16m (52'49'') and a maximum draught of 5,55m (18'21'').

Yacht Accommodation

Beautiful accommodation aboard the 101m superyacht I Dynasty is provided to up to 22 guests in 11 magnificent cabins. There is also space for 30 professional crew, with additional space for 6 staff members.

Amenities and Extras

We do have available further amenity, owner and price information for the 101m (331') yacht I Dynasty, so please enquire for more information.

I Dynasty Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht I Dynasty displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

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I Dynasty (ex: V853)

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I DYNASTY yacht NOT for charter*

100.8m  /  330'9 | kusch yachts | 2015.

Owner & Guests

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Elevator for easy access between floors
• Impressive 7,000nm range
• Well-appointed wellness zone, including beach club and beauty salon
• Inviting pool
• Eleven cabins

The 100.8m/330'9" motor yacht 'I Dynasty' was built by Kusch Yachts in Germany at their Wewelsfleth shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Massari Design and she was delivered to her owner in July 2015. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of The A Group.

Guest Accommodation

I Dynasty has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 34 guests in 11 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 36 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include a beauty salon, beauty salon, elevator, underwater lights, beach club and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

I Dynasty is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel-electric Rolls-Royce Marine (Bergen Auxiliary) 3,259hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 14 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 17 knots with a range of up to 7,000 nautical miles at 14 knots. She was built to Lloyds Register ✠ 100A1 Passenger Ship *LMC, UMS, IWS, DP (CM) classification society rules.

*Charter I Dynasty Motor Yacht

Motor yacht I Dynasty is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

I Dynasty Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

I Dynasty Photos

I Dynasty Awards & Nominations

• The World Superyacht Awards 2016 Displacement Motor Yacht 2999GT and above Finalist

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Specification

M/Y I Dynasty

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Motor Yacht

In 2008, the 59.30 metre superyacht I Dynasty emerged from the Benetti shipyard in Italy. Her immaculate styling by designer Stefano Natucci works seamlessly with the construction quality of Benetti and interior of Studio Massari to create a yacht with true Italian pedigree.

I Dynasty has travelled the Mediterranean exclusively with her original family, and has been kept to the highest standard since. Her Made in Italy style is accentuated by masterclass design features which takes the lifestyle experience on board to a new level.

Her ornate elevator, sliding smoothly through the glass atrium, provides access to all decks and stretches from the lower guest cabins and plateaus at the private gym on the sundeck.

From the top down, the gym allows those on board the choice of exercising in private with air conditioning or opening up the doors to feel the sea breeze; all with an unbeatable view of the ocean.

An authentic Scandinavian sauna transforms a gym into a full wellness centre, as guests can go from the heat to the plunge pool Jacuzzi before retiring to the sunbathing area.

As the evening rolls in, guests can arrive via helicopter or onboard tender to dine under the stars on the sundeck, surrounded by a port on the upper deck aft or inside the luxurious dining suite for privacy. Dining itself is a joy thanks to the fully equipped galley, all at the hands of an onboard expert in culinary craft.

The full-beam Master Stateroom on the main deck forward, is something to behold. While a large dressing room, study and all round panoramic views are as standard, the unique touch of installing a Jacuzzi in her bathroom, and a Turkish steam room in his, immediately elevates this yacht in terms of attention to detail.

The VIP cabin also offers panoramic views on the upper deck, and four double guest cabins on the lower deck provide all the space possible for guests to enjoy their time on board in both style and comfort.

• Yacht Builder Benetti View profile
• Naval Architect Stefano Natucci No profile available
• Exterior Designer Stefano Natucci No profile available
• Interior Designer Studio Massari No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other benetti yachts, related news.

How safe are luxury yachts? What to know after Mike Lynch yacht disaster left 7 dead

The Bayesian was a world-class yacht.

The 19th largest yacht designed by luxury Italian manufacturer Perini , it boasted a sleek interior design by French designer Remi Tessier, a double engine, and one of the tallest aluminum masts in the world. It won multiple awards, including for "best sailing yacht" the year after its release.

But, almost two weeks ago on Aug. 19, the luxurious vessel sank to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Sicily in an internationally-followed disaster, dumping 22 people aboard into the water and leaving seven dead , including British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah .

"The impossible happened on that boat," Giovanni Costantino, the yacht manufacturer's CEO, told Reuters.

In the wake of the disaster, an ongoing investigation into possible criminal errors committed by the Bayesian's crew and lingering questions surrounding its design underscore the need for proper yacht safety measures and practical ship designs, according to experts.

Italian prosecutors from a nearby town have now widened their investigation into possible criminal actions by the ship's captain in the lead-up to the shipwreck to include two additional crew members, a judicial source told Reuters on Wednesday.

Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffith are now under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, days after news broke that investigators are probing whether Captain James Cutfield committed the same crimes.

Authorities are looking into whether Parker Eaton, a ship engineer, failed to protect the ship's engine room and operating systems. Griffith, a sailor on the ship, was on watch duty on the morning the ship sank.

Cutfield "exercised his right to remain silent" when investigators interrogated him on Tuesday, Giovanni Rizzuti, his lawyer, told Reuters.

"First, he's very worn out," Rizzuti said. "Second, we were appointed only on Monday, and for a thorough and correct defense case, we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don't have."

Rizzuti did not immediately respond to a request for comment emailed to him by USA TODAY.

Rescuers found the bodies of Chris Morvillo, an American citizen and lawyer for Clifford Chance, his wife, Neda Morvillo, Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, inside the ship two days after the wreck. Recaldo Thomas, the ship's cook who also went by Ricardo, was the first person pronounced dead in the disaster – his body was recovered on the day of the sinking.

Captains must follow safety procedures before storms

Costantino chalked up the boat's fate to a "series of indescribable, unreasonable errors" committed by the crew. The ship's crew made an "incredible mistake" in not preparing adequately for the storm, he said.

Costantino said the crew should have summoned passengers from their rooms earlier, as the storm picked up. The keel, a heavy weight under the ship to counterbalance the ship's large mast, should have been lowered, and portholes should have been closed – both factors that could influence whether the captain is found culpable, according to experts .

Captains should always check weather forecasts and look into local weather patterns, Mitchell Stoller, a maritime expert witness and captain, told USA TODAY . When in stormy weather, captains should also weigh anchor, so that a ship can float over unstable waters, he added.

"The general standard of care in this situation is to monitor the weather, exercise caution, have a night watch, have the engine going, ready to maneuver," he said.

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Wealthy clients push for impractical designs, expert says

Costantino said the ship's design and construction was error-free. But one yacht design expert disagrees.

"There's so many other factors, and this huge, complex boat is part of it," said Tad Roberts, a British Columbia-based yacht designer who has worked in the industry for nearly 40 years.

The Bayesian's giant mast is part of a trend of bigger and bigger yachts, according to Roberts. He worked on the design of the Asolare, formerly the Scheherazade – at 154 feet long, the largest cold-molded sailing yacht in the world when it was released in 2003, according to its manufacturer, Hodgdon Yacht Services. "It's small today," Roberts added.

Roberts said problems emerge when yacht designers can't say no to wealthy clients' demands for more and more extravagant and overgrown designs.

"The clients are wealthy people. They are very used to getting whatever it is they want," he said.

But owners' requests can compromise security, he said.

"Owners are not naval architects," he said. "They don't understand the issues involved, and trying to explain to them may or may not work, but there are compromises being made all the time."

Yacht buyers are more likely to get a better boat than they would 50 years ago, since yachts are exported and built towards international standards, he said. Still, the worsening effects of climate change and extreme weather are growing risks to anyone sailing the high seas, he added.

"Be aware. That's the biggest part of it," he said. "There's a possibility that things could go bad, that there is risk involved."

More: Investigators seek answers to why luxury superyacht Bayesian sank in storm

Yacht owners install million-dollar, AI-powered security systems

Piracy on yachts is even rarer than sudden storms – only two cases were reported between 2019 and 2023, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre . Still, superyacht owners are investing in James Bond-esque technology in an effort to protect their vessels.

"There's definitely increased concern," said Frederik Giepmans, managing director of safety and security at MARSS, a technology company that offers high-tech surveillance and security systems for superyachts with a price tag "from the hundreds of thousands into millions," he said.

NiDAR, a software program manufactured by MARSS to provide protection for superyachts, can pick up on objects approaching a yacht from the air or water "while underway, at anchor and in port," according to the company's website.

The surveillance system uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to handle data from sensors monitoring all sides of a vessel. The AI system provides "constant, long range monitoring of the air, of the surface, of the underwater, to try and give the crew as much response time as possible," said Giepmans.

That way, yacht owners can pick up on any manner of approaching objects, from "small, fast craft approaching on the surface" to divers and submarines under the water.

But if a threat is detected, a yacht owner's "options to respond are limited," Giepmans said. "You can get out of the way. You can bring people to safety. But, for instance, a more military response is not available to you."

Giepmans pointed to a recent increase in attacks on commercial ships, like attacks carried out by Houthi rebels on ships cruising through the Red Sea. "There's a gap there in terms of security," he said. "Because there isn't really, right now, a way for commercial or private clients, to respond, perhaps, in an appropriate way to these threats."

Luxury yacht owners cruising off the coast of Monaco, for instance, shouldn't be as concerned about a direct threat to their security, as compared with boats sailing through other locations, he said. "It really depends on that, as to what extent they will go to protect their ship."

The greater danger could come from adverse weather events, as the planet warms every year.

Meteorologists have pointed to a water spout, a tornado that spun up over the water amid the storm that hit the Bayesian, as a possible factor in its wreck.

Water temperatures in the area were more than three degrees higher than average that day, the perfect conditions for the spout to form and the likely result of climate change, Rick Shema, a certified consulting meteorologist and former member of the Navy, previously told USA TODAY.

"The water spout was an uncommon occurrence. But again, these things happen, especially in warmer water," he said.

Contributing: Reuters

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

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Liverpool FC owner’s £66 million superyacht spotted off Broughty Ferry

Elysian, owned American businessman John W Henry, has a helipad and heated pool.

A £66 million superyacht belonging to Liverpool FC owner John W Henry has been spotted off Broughty Ferry.

Elysian, a 66-metre-long vessel, docked in the Tay – between Broughty Ferry and Tayport – on Monday morning.

It travelled to the Tay from Aberdeen, where it was berthed over the weekend.

Locals said those on board the luxury yacht appeared to be using a smaller boat to reach the shore.

Superyacht Elysian visits the Tay

It is understood Henry was among them.

The yacht has since moved out towards Barry Buddon.

One onlooker said: “I think it belongs to the owner of a Premier League football team as I’d read it was up in Aberdeen yesterday .

“We were walking along the beach this morning when we spotted it.

“You think they’d rather be in the Mediterranean at this time of year with a boat like that.”

Elysian’s arrival in the Tay was mentioned by  Liverpool fan group KopTalkTV on YouTube .

In the video, the host said: “Don’t assume that he is in the UK just because the yacht’s in the UK.

John Henry’s superyacht spotted off Broughty Ferry after Liverpool game

“Maybe if you see him at the game then he’s obviously there, and what happened – he turned up at the game .”

The reason for the visit has not been confirmed but some locals have speculated Henry may be heading to the Old Course in St Andrews.

The yacht, which sails under the Cayman Islands flag, was built in Germany.

With a top speed of 16.5 knots, it has an outdoor swimming pool, helipad, spa centre and gym and glass lift.

There is room on board for up to 12 guests and 17 crew.

Previously named Ester III, the yacht was once owned by Russian entrepreneur Georgy Bedzhamov.

American businessman Henry – who also owns the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins – bought the ship in 2016.

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Inward bound: an epic homecoming for Cameron McColl and his classic yacht Jura II

Cameron McColl tells Daniel Pembrey about his epic voyage home at the helm of classic yacht Jura II .

Entering London’s St Katharine Docks by boat is neither straightforward nor forgettable. Cameron McColl had done it before but in a smaller boat. On 9 May 2023, he was negotiating the dock in his 37-metre steel-hulled motor yacht Jura II , which is only three metres shorter than the length of the entry lock. The real challenge was the current strength.

“The current of the Thames typically runs at four-and-a-half knots, but it can run faster,” McColl says in his soft Scottish accent. “Often, the river authorities can only estimate when slack tide occurs to within plus or minus 40 minutes. Entering the lock requires you to come upstream past the lock’s entrance, then come around, pointing into it. If there is current, it tends to take the back of the boat away.”

McColl had lived outside the UK since 2007. Born and raised in Edinburgh, and having prospered in the Californian tech industry, he was based in the BVIs, but eager to return for a few weeks to his homeland – the northern part in particular. Owners’ voyages can offer exotic external spectacles, fabulous wildlife and sublime undersea activities; for McColl, this was to be an emotional journey, inside himself, back to his roots.

It was a bright enough day. Onlookers, congregating beside neighbouring Tower Bridge, were drawn to the spectacle of the classically styled, cream 1963 yacht, backdropped by the Gothic-style towers of the big bridge. “You can’t drop your anchor and hang out,” says McColl. “That’s not allowed.” 

Arrival here is the culmination of many hours and miles journeying up the Thames Estuary, struggling against the current, progressing past the atmospheric Shivering Sands Second World War forts on stilts and the monumental former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery, then through the highly choreographed Thames Barrier. “You need to watch out for sandbanks, fast-moving commercial vessels and traffic lights,” McColl continues. “There are 14 different radio ‘calling in’ points. You really do need to be on your game.”

The destination, beside a pool historically known (for good reason) as Dead Man’s Hole, has had its fair share of action. Above here, one night in 1997, a Tower Bridge operator called Glen Ellis began a scheduled bridge lift for the sailing barge Gladys . As the road gates closed, Ellis’s phone rang – it was Scotland Yard, ordering him to abort the lift: President Bill Clinton’s motorcade was about to come across the bridge. 

Not only was the bridge lift required by law (river traffic takes priority), but the barge had the tide behind it. Said Ellis, “I couldn’t have imagined the next day’s headlines if Gladys had smashed into the bridge while the President was crossing.”

As on that night in 1997, all ended well on 9 May 2023. With the aid of squeaking fenders, Jura II eased into the entry lock without being propelled by the current on to the lock’s far sill. Onlookers whooped and applauded. Inside the dock, Brown Owl and Letitia , two of the “Little Ships of Dunkirk” – in town for His Majesty the King’s Coronation – greeted McColl and his party. 

“It all left a most vivid impression,” he says. “I saw how the great cities such as London are meant to be approached and viewed: from the water. These cities grew up around their rivers.” Not for nothing did Churchill declare: “The Thames is no ordinary waterway; it is the golden thread of our nation’s history.”

Arrival in McColl’s home city of Edinburgh, four days after leaving St Katharine Docks, was a more genteel affair. Having negotiated eastern shoals and vast wind farms, his approach up the Firth of Forth was eventful enough, passing by the Bass Rock, white from the teeming birdlife, with the engineering marvel of the rust-red Forth Rail Bridge hovering hazily ahead. The size of Jura II required her to make for the commercial harbour in the Port of Leith, but unlike on the busy River Thames, it was blessedly accessible at all hours.

Indeed, the only other vessel berthed inside was the glossy Royal Yacht Britannia . The normally phlegmatic late Queen shed a tear as the yacht was decommissioned in 1997. Though three times the length of Jura II , she too had been built in Scotland. Jura II ’s curving horizontal lines and gracefully slanting verticals bear strong resemblance to the restrained aesthetic. 

“Something’s been lost along the way,” says McColl. “The concept of beauty isn’t sufficiently to the fore [with modern yachts]. Boats today are built to fit a certain size of dock; they have to be a certain width and length, then the only way to go is up, resulting in top-heavy yachts, with far too much superstructure. They just don’t look as elegant.”

Jura II was built on spec in 1963. She came to be owned by Italy’s Ferruzzi industrialist dynasty and played a starring role as the party boat of Venice’s Hotel Cipriani, hosting Italian film stars and politicians. “The whole upper sundeck is open,” explains McColl. “You can have 30 to 40 people up there for a party.” 

Downstairs, the main deck saloon is more intimate. Given the less clement weather in Scotland, the saloon and dining room would become favoured spots during this voyage, although the upper deck would serve as an ideal viewing platform. The detailing is also significant: “The incandescent bulb lights lend great warmth and charm in the evenings. There is a lot of polished chandlery too, also beautifully crafted wood – not just in the decking but also in the balustrades and furniture.”

McColl had grown up a mile or so from the Port of Leith, in which he has now spent a month aboard Jura II . His father was a customs officer and then perks of the job made their way home: “Our house was full of whisky – the good stuff: single malts.” 

His father was also a talented carpenter and one project involved making a wooden speedboat, which McColl outfitted and piloted on the Firth of Forth. McColl went on to study engineering at Edinburgh University and was heavily involved in the overhaul of Jura II at the Aganlar shipyard in Turkey, in 2021. That involved the dismantling and rebuilding of the boat’s Kelvin diesel engines.

Efficiency is key, says McColl: “The engines are 60 years old, but because they’re turning over so slowly at a cruising speed of eight or nine knots, and are under such little stress, we consume just 50 litres an hour with both engines and a generator running.” It makes longer-range sailing, such as Atlantic crossings, feasible, and it highlights her greatest strength of all: the full-displacement hull. 

The Turkish shipyard preferred to salvage and grind down the steel there rather than replace it, so superb was its quality. The concave-shaped bow slices through waves or eases through calmer waters, sacrificing some internal space for supreme comfort of passage. The canoe-shaped stern allows a “following sea” to gently lift her rather than crash over her. “Today, boatbuilders rely on computer simulations, but in 1963, they built a model of the hull and tank tested it at Aberdeen University.”

“They” refers to Hall, Russell & Co , Aberdeen. And so it was with a deep sense of satisfaction that McColl captained the doughty Jura II up through the turbulent North Sea, offshore from the place of her creation. She too was returning to the area of her birth. 

Further north still, beneath Kessock Bridge in the Moray Firth, a pod of dolphins appeared beside the hull, speeding through the pellucid waters; surfacing, cresting; almost suspended, before plunging into the rifled, grey-green underwater tunnels, so beautifully adapted were they from their gleaming bottle noses to the flukes of their tails. The joyous abandon with which they leapt and hovered prompted gasps from the upper sundeck, then sighs as they vanished from view.

McColl felt a lightening, lifting sensation as he neared the heart of his journey: Seòlaid a’ Ghlinne Mhòir – Gaelic for “Waterway of the Great Glen”, better known as the Caledonian Canal. “Ever since I bought the boat I’d wanted to sail it,” he says of the geological fault that practically cleaves ancient Scotland in two, in a perfectly straight line, north-east to south-west.

The Great Glen claims some of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world. In the early 19th century, Scottish engineer Thomas Telford linked the water bodies from Inverness on the east coast to Fort William on the west coast, sparing shipowners the long way round treacherous Cape Wrath, all in a bid to revive the Highlands during a time of economic depression and mass emigration.

Telford accomplished this via a canal system measuring 35 kilometres in length of cuttings – or 96 kilometres in total, including the natural lochs – and featuring 11 bridges and 29 locks. The highest point is more than 32 metres above sea level.

A twinge of trepidation remained for McColl, however. While the Caledonian Canal is challenging in a vessel of any size, Jura II is realistically the longest size of boat you could sail here. “We ended up with only 1.5 metres to spare at either end in some of the locks,” he recounts. 

Each step of the way, the movement of the boat had to be planned out. St Katharine Docks had been but a dry, or rather wet, run. “We arranged the itinerary with the lock-keepers, who were very accommodating. The boat was so relatively big that when she moved, there often couldn’t be any other traffic in a lock or given stretch of canal. The low, June water levels only increased the challenge. There is supposed to be  three metres draught, yet if we moved out of the centreline of the canal, we would occasionally be touching.”

All of this was a distant thought on mythic, 36-kilometre-long Loch Ness in the north-east. “The mountains around that loch are just gorgeous,” he says. “It is so still, and deep [up to 240 metres]. It is completely surrounded by forest, a lot of it old Caledonian pine.” 

So long as there were bikes and hiking boots aboard, the towpaths would become excellent jumping-off points for excursions, including a memorable trek up the vivid green river valley Glen Nevis – like some lost world, or location from the film Jurassic Park .

The views from Jura II could prove most beguiling of all. “In the year of my birth, my grandfather bought an old stone cottage near Braemar where we’d spend the late summers,” reminisces McColl. “When I looked out of the dining room window, I’d see snow-capped mountains, the biggest being Ben Macdui – the second-tallest mountain in the UK. I realised I was looking at essentially the same scene through the windows of the boat, seeing snow-dusted Ben Nevis – just 30 metres taller than Macdui; no mist, the clearest of views: instantly familiar.”

Too soon came the descent back to sea level, down Neptune’s Staircase, which drops 19 metres through eight locks over a quarter of a mile, taking four hours. Onlookers gathered once more. “We must feature in a lot of tourists’ phone videos,” jokes McColl. Adding to the tension were the dreaded west coast midges. “I’d plotted the radius that midges will travel and it’s more than 100 metres from shore.”

Finally Jura II emptied out into a long sea loch, but the respite was short-lived. “A lot of these sea lochs have narrow points where the current is strong, the water shallow and, if you don’t get your timing right, it’s hard to pass.” So it proved on Loch Linnhe at Corran, and further south with the Corryvreckan Whirlpool, where an undersea mountain peak can create a standing wave four-and-a-half metres tall. “Like a waterfall in the middle of the sea,” marvels McColl.

At Kylerhea, the tide ran similarly fast through the narrows between the island of Skye and the mainland, making it tricky to steer. “It can take the back of the boat away, like in London but far worse; you have to do back bearings, looking behind to ensure you’re in line with where you’re heading towards.”

The name Skye allegedly comes from the Norse words for cloud and island. “There is still something of an Odyssey up there,” wrote D H Lawrence about the island a century ago, “the sea running far in, for miles, between the wet, trickling hills, where the cottages are low and almost invisible, built into the earth...”

Skye proved its own homecoming for McColl. “Many years ago, I took a beautiful Swan 65 sailing yacht on the Highland Malt Cruise [now defunct], going from distillery to distillery, and we stopped at the Talisker Distillery in Skye. We had such a fantastic time. There was meant to be a race the next day; we, and half the other boats, never made it.” 

Now his youngest son, having sailed solo around the world, runs a campsite close to the Skye Bridge and has bought a cottage outside the nearby town of Plockton, where palm trees and other exotic plants betray the unexpectedly northern flow of the Gulf Stream. With the white sandy beaches and aquamarine waters, shared by the BVIs, the segments of McColl’s life were telescoping together, into a harmonious whole.

On 17 July – 69 days after arriving at St Katharine Docks – they made landfall on the remote Hebridean island of Tiree. “Some of the best moments of life come when you forget where and who you are, and suddenly you’re back home kicking a ball around with your dad or the other kids, on the playing fields behind your house on unending summer evenings. Only, here, it was locals from the waterfront pub inviting us for a sunset barefoot beach football match.” No matter that Team Jura II lost 3-1: “just magical”.

On the way back to the mainland, Jura II made one more stop, at the uninhabited island of Staffa – specifically at Fingal’s Cave, carved into a tall dome of volcanic rock, the hexagonal shaping of which calls to mind the Giant’s Causeway across the water in Ireland. The Atlantic puffins are one draw, but the main one is the sea cave.

“You think it extends a few metres but it’s more like 40,” says McColl, his voice quietening. “The water is crystal clear and surprisingly deep. Soon, all natural light from the cave opening is lost. There’s an intensely tangy, briny smell, and sharp acoustics amplifying the lapping sounds, for the rock ceiling is tall, like a cathedral’s. I felt at peace there.” 

He pauses. “What the west coast of Scotland means to me is somewhere quiet, and dark, with a true sense of majesty – the weight of the ages bearing hauntingly down. But all still intensely alive, today.”

It was a fitting culmination for a rite-of-passage voyage involving so many echoes of his past, and experiences that will surely reverberate long into his future. “It’s tempting to want to do it again, but it couldn’t be bettered.” Much like that boat’s name, I ask? “Ah yes, well, the previous boat of mine was called Jura , and those Hebridean islands and that name can’t really be improved upon either, so Jura II she became.”

And in case you’re wondering, the namesake malt whisky with the smoky finish is his joint favourite – tied only with Skye’s Talisker.

First published in the September 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'

Italian officials revealed at a news conference there could be "a question of manslaughter" as they opened a shipwreck investigation and said the probe is also looking at the "crew's responsibility".

Saturday 24 August 2024 18:33, UK

• Superyacht sinking

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• Prosecutor: There 'could be a question of manslaughter'
• Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility
• Seven bodies recovered after five-day search of superyacht wreckage off Sicily
• Saturday's papers pay tribute to youngest victim Hannah Lynch
• Hannah's sister pays tribute to 'my little angel'
• Explained: Inside the superyacht | What challenges have faced divers?
• Eyewitness: Sombre scenes greet rescue teams as final body is brought ashore
• Live reporting by Niamh Lynch

We're ending our live coverage for this evening but here is a recap of what we know:

• Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the Bayesian sinking;
• Officials have revealed more details on their investigation and the difficult five-day rescue mission;
• The six bodies found during the search in recent days were all in cabins on the left-hand - and highest - side of the ship. Five were found in the first cabin and the sixth was found in the third;
• Prosecutors said the six passengers were most likely asleep when the boat sank;
• The probe is now focusing on the crew and their responsibilities, with the captain set to undergo more questioning.

Monday 19 August

The Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, sinks at around 5am local time when the area was hit by a tornado.

Fifteen people are rescued from the 56 metre vessel - including a mother and baby - but another seven remain missing.

One body, later confirmed to be the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, is found near the wreck.

It emerges that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among six people that remain missing.

Tuesday 20 August

The search continues for the six tourists missing.

It is reported that among those missing are Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Police divers try to reach the hull of the ship, resting at a depth of 50 metres.

Italy's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco say early inspections of the wreck were "unsuccessful" because of limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages.

The operation is later described as "complex", with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Tributes pour in for Mr Thomas, with his friend Gareth Williams saying: "I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit."

Wednesday 21 August

The search for the six people unaccounted for enters a third day, with crews carrying out inspections of the yacht's internal hull.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrive in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

A helicopter is drafted in to help with the search effort and remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.

Five bodies are found inside the yacht on Wednesday afternoon. Only four of them are brought to shore.

Body bags are seen being taken to Porticello in the afternoon where dozens of emergency services staff wait.

Searches finish for the day just before 7.30pm.

Thursday 22 August

The search resumes for the remaining missing person.

The body of the fifth missing person, found but not recovered the previous day, is brought to shore.

A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returns with a blue body bag to the port of Porticello just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.

Tributes pour in for Mr Lynch and Mr and Mrs Bloomer after they are identified as having died.

The search is called off at around 8pm in Sicily, with divers expected to begin again at 6.30am on Friday.

Friday 23  August

The search continues for the final person missing from the wreck of the Bayesian, Hannah Lynch.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, says the search for Hannah has not been "easy or quick", comparing the sunken yacht to an "18-storey building full of water".

The coastguard confirms in the late morning that her body has been found.

A green body bag is brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking.

A spokesperson announces on behalf of the Lynch family that they are "devastated" and "in shock" after the deaths of Mike and Hannah.

Hannah's sister Esme pays tribute to her "little angel".

Saturday 24 August

A press conference is held in the court of an Italian town, Termini Imerese.

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio tells reporters that his office has opened an initial investigation against unknown persons into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.

As the focus now turns to the manslaughter investigation, here's another reminder of the seven victims of the sinking and the 15 people who survived. 

A close friend of the Lynch family has added to the chorus of tributes for British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who died in Monday's superyacht sinking.

Susannah Gurdun, who lives in Suffolk, recalled being "daunted" when she first met Mr Lynch at a dinner party, before discovering he was "so much more than the corporate cliche".

"He was riveting.  He was funny, and kind, and endlessly interesting; capable of talking about anything and everything," she said.

Ms Gardun said the businessman also had a "thrilling ability" to make complicated subjects "accessible to those of us less blessed with a science acumen".

"In particular, he was wonderful with children.  I will never forget hearing him explain to a group of them - including our ten year old son - the physics of why the sky went pink at sunset," she said.

She went on describe Mr Lynch as a "true genius" and "phenomenal creative".

Ms Gardun said his daughter Hannah was also showing "serious literary promise", and added that it was "beyond tragic that we will never know where her own particular brilliance might have led".

"I still feel blessed to have shared that time with them in Spain.  Not just because I witnessed Mike’s incredible storytelling; but because I was given a chance of understanding what that moment said about all four of them as a united vibrant loving family," she said.

"He was an extraordinary human being and it was - truly - a privilege to have known him."

A yacht crew member who survived the sinking has paid tribute to Hannah Lynch, calling her a "diamond in a sea of stars".

Sasha Murray, chief stewardess of the Bayesian, has released a statement after divers recovered the final missing body from the wreckage, which is believed to be 18-year-old Hannah.

"Those who knew her will know that Hannah was a diamond in a sea of stars," she said.

"Bright, beautiful and always shining. What most people may not have seen was the extraordinarily strong, deep and loving relationship she shared with her parents, whom she adored more than anything. 

"While swimming with them she often said, if anything ever happened she would save them. 

"I have no doubt that the Irish, Latina fire that burns in her soul kept that spirited determination alive."

Ms Murray's statement comes as a new image of Hannah Lynch and her father Mike Lynch is released:

Prosecutors announced in this morning's news conference that they have opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck investigation.

Officials were unable to answer several queries from the media, saying they needed time to establish the facts, but what are the key questions facing prosecutors? 

Why weren't passengers who remained on board the vessel warned about escaping from the yacht?

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, suggested that some passengers may have been asleep when others were awake.

Asked why they were not woken up or alerted, he said that is something investigators are trying to work out from the statements of the survivors.

He called it an "essential" part of the inquiry.

Why were several of the passengers in one cabin?

The press conference heard several bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which was not theirs.

Mr Cammarano said investigators currently do not know the reason for them being discovered in the same cabin.

The chief of the Palermo fire service, Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the yacht pinned to the right and suggested people tried to go on the other side, taking refuge in cabins in the higher part of the wreck.

Why did the boat sink?

The vessel had been deemed "unsinkable" by its manufacturer - Italian shipyard Perini Navi.

The Bayesian was hit by a downburst, according to Mr Cammarano, which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.

Officials will look into the safety equipment on the sunken vessel.

Mr Cammarano was asked about whether there is a black box and if the hatches were left open.

He said investigators do not have exact information about the black box and that the first phase of the inquiry will look into it.

Why were nearby vessels not similarly affected?

Another yacht, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when extreme weather hit.

Its crew helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken vessel.

Italian officials said they would be looking at how the downburst could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels.

What weather warnings was the Bayesian alerted to?

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, said the weather at the time of the yacht's sinking was abnormal and there was nothing to suggest such an extreme situation would arise.

He said there were forecasts of winds and a storm alert, but there was no warning of a tornado.

"Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising," he said.

"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

How long will it take to recover the sailing vessel?

Mr Macauda could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht.

"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation," he said.

"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject, [said] that it will be eight weeks."

He made clear that the owners will bear the full cost of retrieval, although he could not estimate the figure.

Italian authorities detailed the challenging and meticulous rescue operation to recover the six missing people from the Bayesian wreck (see 9.18am post).

But why was the five-day search so difficult? 

Read more below...

More on this morning's press conference. 

One of the main updates from prosecutors was that they have opened manslaughter and shipwreck investigations after the deaths of seven people in the Bayesian sinking. 

Watch the announcement below...

Prosecutors have given a lengthy news conference this morning on their investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian. 

Read the full report on the prosecutors' probe below...

Marine investigator James Wilkes has been speaking to Sky News after this morning's press conference.

"Naturally, there are more questions than there are substantive answers at the moment - that's the nature of investigative work.

"Something forced that yacht to roll beyond its nominal stability limits, such that it wasn't able to right itself with the ingress of a certain amount of seawater that was coming into the yacht. 

"So the investigators are going to ask themselves one initial question - what must the conditions have been for this to happen? 

"Then they are going to look at the contributing factors to the yacht, sinking, and, and the unfortunate loss of life." 

Prosecutors said this morning that the future of the investigation is reliant on recovering the wreck. 

Mr Wilkes said the yacht is a "major piece of physical evidence in and of itself." 

"It's lying at 50 metres, which is a recoverable depth. 

"If it was significantly deeper, then I'm not sure they'd be considering salvage at this stage or certainly, the salvage question would be a lot more complicated to answer. 

"But if there was the ability to raise that yacht in one piece safely, then it gives the investigators physically more to look at."

Mr Wilkes said he was unsure if the yacht would have a "black box" - called a voyage data recorder in shipping. 

"It would record things like GPS position, heading speed, engine telemetry, whether the radars were on, what they were recording, alarms, communications from the yacht itself, any audio on the bridge.

"But more often than not, these are on merchant ships. The yacht was a commercial yacht in the sense that it could be chartered out so it's quite possible it has a voyage data recorder on, but I'm not sure that it does. I don't know that as a matter of fact," he said.

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