One of the lead news stories of the week was the tragic and somewhat baffling capsize and sinking of the 183-foot yacht Bayesian near Porticello, Sicily, with the loss of seven souls. Fortunately, 15 of the 22 people on board survived.
The consensus among Italian officials has solidified on the likelihood that the yacht was hit by a very local and very powerful waterspout that forced it over onto its side leading to massive flooding and ultimately, in minutes, to its sinking into 180 feet of water.
Everyone has the same question: How could this have happened? I have cruised the around Sicily and the whole west coast of Italy in late summer and early fall. We saw small waterspouts during daylight hours in the distance on five different occasions and were able to maneuver around them. We never experienced one at night. I have to say that seeing a waterspout –a marine tornado—even from a distance truly gets your attention.
The BBC reported that on Monday, August 16, at least 19 waterspouts were sighted north of Sicily and along Italy’s west coast, which is many more than average for August. So, what’s going on? Here’s an article in Wired magazine that digs into the science of waterspouts and looks at how the dramatic warming of the oceans may be affecting the number and force of these dangerous storms. Read more here.
