The father of Kiwi lawyer Ayla Ronald says she's "very shaken" after being rescued from the ill-fated Bayesian off the coast of Sicily. Video / Vigil del Fuoco / Getty Images
James Cutfield, the Kiwi captain of the sunken superyacht the Bayesian, reportedly saved a woman and her baby during the disaster.
The yacht sank on August 19, killing seven people, including owner Mike Lynch and his daughter.
Cutfield’s lawyers say he is exhausted and needs time before answering Italian prosecutors’ questions.
The New Zealand captain of a superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, killing its billionaire owner and others, has reportedly told friends of doing everything possible to save those aboard.
And another crew member has reportedly told investigators that Kiwi James Cutfield, the 51-year-old captain of the Bayesian, helped save the lives of a woman and her baby.
The yacht sunk soon after being struck by an early morning storm on August 19, killing seven, including its owner, British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, and his daughter Hannah.
Cutfield has so far declined to answer questions from Italian prosecutors, with his lawyers saying he was exhausted and needed more time for his legal team to gather information. Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt nor mean charges will necessarily follow.
The Daily Mail has reported friends of Cutfield have told Italian media he has spoken to them of doing everything possible to prevent the disaster and save those aboard.
He is living through “the darkest days of his life”, the friends were quoted as saying. He is now reported to be back home on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
New Zealand citizen James Cutfield, 51, was the captain of the Bayesian, a boat which sunk off the coast of Italy.
Meanwhile, another crew member who survived the sinking has recounted the ordeal, reportedly telling investigators “we saved who we could”.
Matthew Griffiths, 22, has also been placed under investigation. The Daily Mail has cited a report by Italian news agency Ansa that Griffiths has told investigators of being on watch duty, and waking Cutfield when winds picked up.
“He gave orders to wake everyone else... the ship tilted and we were thrown into the water. Then we managed to get back up and tried to rescue those we could,” Griffiths was quoted by Ansa as saying.
“We were walking on the walls [of the vessel]. We saved who we could - Cutfield also saved the little girl and her mother.”
That comment refers to Charlotte Golunski and her baby daughter. In total, 15 people survived the sinking of the 56m yacht, including New Zealand lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, and her partner Matthew Fletcher.
Golunski has told media that she and her family survived because they were on deck when the yacht sank, after being woken by thunder, lightning and huge waves.
“For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves,” Italian newspaper La Repubblica previously quoted her as saying. “It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.”
Golunski was one of a group who managed to climb into an inflatable lifeboat, before being rescued by a nearby boat.
The superyacht Bayesian was off the coast of Sicily when it sank after being hit by a storm.
Cutfield’s brother Mark has previously told the Herald his brother was a “very good sailor” and was “very well-respected” in the Mediterranean.
James had been a captain on luxury yachts for eight years and had previously been working on them and involved in building them for the past 30 years in various locations around the Mediterranean.
He said before he worked for British tech tycoon Lynch, he had worked for a Turkish billionaire.
Mark said James was a “top sailor” in his youth and raced 470s competitively.
