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Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife tells the real story behind the yacht on The Wolf of Wall Street

The ex-wife of jordan belfort shed some light on the infamous scene.

Ben Thompson

Jordan Belfort's ex wife, Nadine Macaluso, has set the record straight about the scene in The Wolf Of Wall Street where Belfort splashes out and buys his wife a yacht on their wedding day.

I mean, when you have a lot of money , what better way to treat your new spouse after saying I do?

After their lavish wedding, Belford ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) covers Nadine's, or Naomi as she's known in the movie, eyes with a blindfold before revealing the huge yacht, which has been christened the 'Naomi'.

And Naomi (played by Margot Robbie ) cannot contain her excitement.

"Are you serious? A f***ing yacht?!" she exclaims.

However, it seems that the real Belfort wasn't very serious, as Macaluso revealed on TikTok that her ex-husband, who she was married to from 1991 to 2005, 'did not' actually buy her a boat on their wedding day.

She said: "Actually what happened I think we were married for a few years and we were always chartering yachts, because he loved to do that.

"And I had given birth to my beautiful daughter Chandler and he said 'I want to buy a yacht'."

However, this idea didn't sit well with Macaluso at the time.

She continued: "I said 'I don't think we should buy a yacht, we have a baby and I don't feel comfortable.

'She can't swim.'

"I had visions of her falling off the boat and I was actually terrified.

"I did not want to buy the yacht ironically. And he was like 'Nope, I'm buying a yacht and I'm calling it the Nadine'. And I was like 'Okay, here we go'.

"And you know how that went."

Macaluso's final line is a nod to a scene in the film, in which Belfort and Naomi need to be rescued from the yacht after it gets caught up in a storm.

This scene was indeed based on the real life sinking of the ship in June 1996, which resulted in a rescue by the Italian Navy Special forces.

The yacht was sunk after violent waves repeatedly hit it, but luckily everyone on board was able to escape the ship in time.

Macaluso has previously commented on the scene's accuracy , where she admitted in a TikTok video that the yacht sinking scene was 'totally true'.

Speaking of the memory, she said: "It was horrific, horrifying, we were in a squall for 12 to 18 hours and we lived, thank god, for my kids."

She even showed real life footage of her, Belford and their friends being rescued by the Navy.

Topics:  TV and Film

• Real footage from Wolf of Wall Street beach party as Jordan Belfort's ex-wife confirms disturbing act happened
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The Wolf of Wall Street: History vs. Hollywood

Did Jordan Belfort really meet his future business partner in a restaurant?

What was the name of Belfort's brokerage house?

The Wolf of Wall Street true story confirms that, like in the movie, Stratton Oakmont was the name of the real Jordan Belfort's Long Island, New York brokerage house. Belfort and co-founder Danny Porush (played by Jonah Hill in the movie) chose the name because it sounded prestigious ( NYTimes.com ). The firm would later be accused of manipulating the IPOs of at least 34 companies, including Steve Madden Ltd. (their biggest deal), Dualstar Technologies, Paramount Financial, D.V.I. Financial, M. H. Meyerson & Co., Czech Industries, M.V.S.I. Technology, Questron Technologies, and Etel Communications.

What exactly did Jordan Belfort do that was illegal?

Belfort's Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm ran a classic "pump and dump" operation. Belfort and several of his executives would buy up a particular company's stock and then have an army of brokers (following a script he had prepared) sell it to unsuspecting investors. This would cause the stock to rise, pretty much guaranteeing Belfort and his associates a substantial profit. Soon, the stock would fall back to reality, with the investors bearing a significant loss. -NYTimes.com

How many employees worked for Jordan Belfort's brokerage firm?

At its peak in the 1990s, Stratton Oakmont, Belfort's firm that he co-founded with Danny Porush, employed more than 1,000 brokers. -TheDailyBeast.com

Danny Porush says the movie's dwarf-tossing scene (above) never happened. Even Belfort's book only discusses it as a possibility. Did Jordan Belfort really host an in-office dwarf-tossing competition?

No. "We never abused [or threw] the midgets in the office; we were friendly to them," Danny Porush (the real Donnie Azoff) says. "There was no physical abuse." Porush does admit that the firm hired little people to attend at least one party. Jordan Belfort's memoir The Wolf of Wall Street only discusses the tossing of little people as a possibility, not something that actually happened. -MotherJones.com

During what years did the events in the movie take place?

The events in The Wolf of Wall Street movie took place during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush founded the brokerage firm of Stratton Oakmont in the late 1980s. The securities fraud and money laundering charges brought against the firm involved companies that Stratton Oakmont helped raise money for in public stock offerings from 1990 through 1997. In 1996, Stratton Oakmont was banned from the brokerage industry, which eventually forced the company to close its doors. -NYTimes.com

Was Jordan Belfort really known as the "wolf" of Wall Street?

No, at least not according to the former co-founder and president of the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm, Danny Porush (portrayed by Jonah Hill in the movie). The real Porush says that he is not aware of anyone at the firm calling Jordan the "wolf." Porush says that it's just one of a number of exaggerations and inventions in both Belfort's book and the movie. -MotherJones.com

Is Matthew McConaughey's character, Mark Hanna, based on a real person?

Yes. In exploring The Wolf of Wall Street true story, we learned that Jordan Belfort claims to have met Matthew McConaughey's character's real-life counterpart, Mark Hanna, in 1987 when he was working at the old-money trading firm of L.F. Rothschild. His new acquaintance was an uproarious senior broker at the firm and introduced Belfort to the excess and debauchery that Belfort would later make a daily staple at Stratton Oakmont. Like in the movie, the real Mark Hanna behind McConaughey's character told Belfort that the key to success was masturbation, cocaine and hookers, in addition to making your customers reinvest their winnings so you can collect the commissions. -TheDailyBeast.com

Did Jordan Belfort really abuse cocaine and other drugs?

Yes. In The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is shown snorting cocaine off a prostitute's backside and nearly crashing his private helicopter while high on a cocktail of prescription drugs, including Quaaludes, morphine and Xanax. In researching The Wolf of Wall Street true story, it quickly became clear that Belfort used drugs heavily in real life too. In his memoir, he states that at times he had enough "running through my circulatory system to sedate Guatemala."

Jordan Belfort did give speeches like DiCaprio in the movie (left). Right: The real Belfort speaks at a 1994 Stratton Oakmont Christmas party (right). Did Belfort really stand in front of his employees and give riling speeches with a microphone?

Yes. Belfort was known to stir his troops into action by belting out words of motivation through a microphone. However, his speeches were often filled with more self-adulation than DiCaprio's speeches in the movie.

Did a female employee really let them shave her head for $10,000 to pay for breast implants?

The real Jordan Belfort claims this is true in his memoir. The female employee let them shave off her blonde hair for $10,000, which she used to pay for D-cup breast implants. Co-founder Danny Porush also says that the shaving took place, "...the worst we ever did was shave somebody's head and then pay 'em ten grand for it," says Porush. -MotherJones.com

Was Jordan Belfort's Quaalude dealer in the movie, Brad Bodnick (Jon Bernthal), based on a real person?

Yes. The character in the movie, Brad Bodnick, who has a goatee and is portrayed by The Walking Dead 's Jon Bernthal, is based on Jordan Belfort's real-life Quaalude supplier, Todd Garret. In his memoir, the real Jordan Belfort claims that Garret sold him approximately 10,000 Quaaludes.

Was there ever a chimpanzee in the office?

No. According to co-founder Danny Porush (played by Jonah Hill in the movie), the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio's character pals around with a chimp is pure monkey business. "There was never a chimpanzee in the office," says Porush. "There were no animals in the office...I would also never abuse an animal in any way" (though he does admit to eating the goldfish, see below). -MotherJones.com

Did he really almost crash his helicopter in his yard?

Did Danny Porush really marry his own first cousin?

Yes. According to Jordan Belfort's memoir, the real Donnie Azoff (whose actual name is Danny Porush) did marry his first cousin Nancy "because she was a real piece of ass." After twelve years of marriage, the couple divorced in 1998 after Danny told Nancy that he was in love with another woman ( NYPost.com ). Danny and his ex-wife share three children together.

Did Belfort and his colleagues really have drug-addled nights and sexcapades with prostitutes on a near daily basis?

Though the movie and Belfort's memoir might seem like gross exaggerations of the truth, depicting heavy drug use and sexcapades in the office during trading hours, they're not exaggerations at all says the F.B.I. agent who finally took Belfort into custody, "I tracked this guy for ten years, and everything he wrote is true." Kyle Chandler portrays the agent in the Martin Scorsese movie. -NYTimes.com

Was Belfort really arrested for crashing his Lamborghini while high on expired Quaaludes?

Yes, but according to Belfort the car wasn't a Lamborghini like in the movie, it was a Mercedes. He was so high in a drug daze that he couldn't remember causing several different accidents as he tried to make his way home. In real life, one of the accidents was a head-on collision that actually sent a woman to the hospital. -TheDailyBeast.com

The real Donnie Azoff, Daniel Porush, says that he really did swallow a goldfish like Jonah Hill (pictured). Did Danny Porush really swallow a goldfish?

Yes. According to the real Donnie Azoff, whose actual name is Danny Porush, the scene where Jonah Hill's character eats a goldfish is based on a true story. "I said to one of the brokers, 'If you don't do more business, I'm gonna eat your goldfish!'" Porush recalls. "So I did." -MotherJones.com

Did they really tape money to a woman's body?

In one scene of The Wolf of Wall Street movie, bricks of cash are taped to a Swiss woman's body. "[I] never taped money to boobs," the real Danny Porush says (played by Jonah Hill in the movie). According to Jordan Belfort's memoir, the event did happen but his partner Porush wasn't there. -MotherJones.com

Was footwear mogul Steve Madden really involved in Belfort's scheme?

Yes. As shown in The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Steve Madden had been a childhood friend of Belfort's partner Danny Porush (renamed Donnie Azoff in the movie and portrayed by actor Jonah Hill). Their fondness for drugs and alcohol reunited the two of them. During the initial public offering of his footwear company, Steve Madden Ltd., Madden acquired a large number of shares of his company, which were actually being controlled by Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont. Once shares became available to the public, Stratton Oakmont got down to the business of selling them to unsuspecting suckers. Billing Madden's company as the hottest issue on Wall Street, Belfort's brokers in turn drove up the price. Eventually, Steve Madden was to sell off his shares when the hype was at its peak, just before the stock began its inevitable decline. Similar to what is seen in the movie, Belfort still maintains that Steve Madden tried to steal his Steve Madden shares from him. However, Jordan Belfort did make approximately $23 million in two hours as part of the deal with Steve Madden, who would later be charged as an accomplice to Belfort's scheme. -NYTimes.com For his part, Steve Madden was sentenced to 41 months in prison and was forced to resign as CEO of Steve Madden Ltd. He also resigned from the company's board of directors. However, he did not leave the company entirely. He kept his foot (or shoe) in the door by giving himself the title of creative consultant, for which he was well-compensated even while he was in prison. -Slate.com

Did Jordan Belfort really name his yacht after his wife?

Did Belfort's yacht really sink in a Mediterranean storm?

Yes. In real life, Belfort's 167-foot yacht, which was originally owned by Coco Chanel, sunk off the coast of Italy when Belfort, who was high on drugs at the time, insisted that the captain take the boat through a storm ( TheDailyBeast.com ). Listen to Belfort tell the story during The Room Live 's Jordan Belfort interview . As he states in the interview, his helicopter didn't fall off the boat during the storm like in the movie. Instead, they had to push the helicopter off of the top deck of the boat to make room for the rescue chopper to drop down an Italian Navy commando.

How long did FBI agent Gregory Coleman spend tracking Jordan Belfort and his firm?

FBI agent Gregory Coleman, renamed Patrick Denham for the film and portrayed by actor Kyle Chandler, made tracking Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont, a top priority for six years. In an interview ( watch here ), Coleman says that the factors that drew his attention to the firm were "the flashiness, the brashness of their activities, the blatantness of the way they were soliciting people and cold calling people, and the number of victims that were complaining on a daily basis." -CNBC

Did Jordan really strike his wife?

Yes. The Wolf of Wall Street movie shows Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) hitting his wife (Margot Robbie) with his hand and fist. According to his memoir, he actually kicked his wife Nadine down the stairs while he was holding his daughter. She landed on her right side with "tremendous force."

Did Belfort really endanger his 3-year-old daughter's life by crashing his car through the garage door?

Yes. In real life, he put his daughter Chandler in the front seat of the car without a seat belt on, before crashing it through the garage door and then driving full speed into a six-foot-high limestone pillar at the edge of the driveway. Like in the movie, he was high at the time.

Tommy Chong was Jordan Belfort's cellmate in prison and encouraged him to write the book. What was Jordan Belfort's punishment?

When he was finally arrested in 1998 for money laundering and securities fraud, Jordan Belfort was sentenced to four years in prison. This was after agreeing to wear a wire and provide the FBI with information to help prosecute various friends and associates. In the end, the true story reveals that he served only 22 months in a California federal prison. His cellmate in prison was Tommy Chong of "Cheech and Chong" fame, who was serving a nine month sentence for selling bongs. -TheDailyBeast.com

What inspired Jordan Belfort to write his memoir?

It wasn't so much a what as it was a who. Tommy Chong (one half of "Cheech and Chong") was Jordan Belfort's cellmate in prison. After laughing at some of Belfort's stories from his days running the firm, Chong encouraged him to write a book. -TheDailyBeast.com

Why is Jordan Belfort's memoir filled with so many exclamations?

Jordan Belfort attempted to model his writing after Hunter S. Thompson ( Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ), who was known for using plenty of exclamation points.

What happened to Belfort's partner, Danny Porush, portrayed by Jonah Hill in the movie?

Danny Porush, renamed Donnie Azoff for the movie and played by actor Jonah Hill, served 39 months in prison for his part in the corrupt dealings of Stratton Oakmont, the firm that he co-founded with Jordan Belfort. Porush currently runs a medical supply business in Florida, where he lives with his second wife Lisa in a $4 million mansion. A 2008 Forbes article pointed out his company's fraudulent tactics, which included trying to persuade people to order diabetic supplies and getting them to provide information about their physicians that could be used to bill Medicare. A number of complaints surfaced accusing Porush's company of sending unsolicited packages that were accompanied by unexpected Medicare charges. Back in 2001, Porush was arrested in connection to a fraud scheme surrounding Noble & Perrault Collectibles, a company that sold commemorative coins over the phone. Victims saw their credit cards charged repeatedly, at times for thousands of dollars, while often never receiving any merchandise for purchases that were largely unauthorized to begin with. -Sun Sentinel Enjoying a well-to-do life in Florida, Daniel Porush and his wife drive matching Rolls-Royce Corniche convertibles. With regard to The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Porush said, "I really have no comment other than to say I would never try to profit from a crime I'm so remorseful for." -NYPost.com

I heard that Jordan Belfort is a motivational speaker, is that true?

How much did Jordan Belfort earn from his books and the movie?

Catching the Wolf of Wall Street includes more of Belfort's outrageous stories that were not included in his first book. As we investigated The Wolf of Wall Street true story, we discovered that Jordan's books, The Wolf of Wall Street and Catching the Wolf of Wall Street , netted him a $1 million advance from Random House. He also earned $1 million for the film rights to his story ( TheDailyBeast.com ). In a response to criticism over these profits and future profits from the movie, Jordan Belfort said the following via his Facebook page, "I am not turning over 50% of the profits of the books and the movie, which was what the government had wanted me to do. Instead, I insisted on turning over 100% of the profits of both books and the movie, which is to say, I am not making a single dime on any of this." According to Jordan, the money is being used to pay back the millions still owed to those who were scammed by his brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont.

Does Jordan Belfort have a cameo in The Wolf of Wall Street movie?

Yes, the real Jordan Belfort appears at the end of the movie as the person who introduces Leonardo DiCaprio's character before he takes the stage at his Straight Line seminar.

Have any other movies been based on Jordan Belfort's story?

Yes, but only loosely. The brokerage firm in the movie Boiler Room , released in 2000, was inspired by the illegal practices of Jordan Belfort's Stratton Oakmont firm. In the movie, actor Ben Affleck portrays Jim Young, the Belfort-esque co-founder of the firm, who, like Jordan Belfort, trains his brokers in the "pump and dump" scheme. -NYTimes.com

Watch The Wolf of Wall Street movie trailer. Also, view Jordan Belfort interviews and home video footage of him speaking at a Stratton Oakmont party in the 1990s.

• Jordan Belfort's Website
• Danny Porush's Website (played by Jonah Hill)
• Mark Hanna's Website (played by Matthew McConaughey)
• The Wolf of Wall Street Official Paramount Movie Site

Everything The Wolf Of Wall Street Doesn't Tell You About The True Story

Martin Scorsese's film "The Wolf of Wall Street" is an over-the-top celebration of greed and excess, inspired by the memoir of the notorious stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who is played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film. It tell of the rise of Jordan Belfort from a low-level assistant at L. F. Rothschild to a Long Island penny stock pusher, as well as Belfort's dramatic fall from filthy rich CEO of Stratton Oakmont to a stint in federal prison for stock fraud and money laundering.

Despite being ostensibly based on a true story, many question the veracity of the film because of how absolutely outlandishness of Belfort's claims, and how outrageous the antics at Stratton Oakmont are. Scorsese obviously recognized Belfort is an unreliable narrator with a penchant for exaggeration. In the film, Belfort breaks the fourth wall, addressing the camera and the audience directly. This was a strategic choice by the screenwriter and director. Screenwriter Terence Winter told Esquire , "Jordan is talking directly to you. You are being sold the Jordan Belfort story by Jordan Belfort, and he is a very unreliable narrator. That's very much by design."

Despite how unlikely this story is, most of what transpires in the film actually happened. Winter added, "I assumed he must've been embellishing. But then I did some research, and I talked to the FBI agent who arrested him, who had been tracking Jordan for ten years. And he told me, 'It's all true. Every single thing in his memoir, every insane coincidence and over-the-top perk, it all happened.'" 

That said, this film is Belfort's truth, not necessarily the definitive truth. Keep reading if you want to learn everything "The Wolf of Wall Street" doesn't tell you about the true story of Jordan Belfort's meteoric rise and fall.

Belfort's wives' names were changed for the film

Although their real-life counterparts are obvious, the names of Jordan Belfort's ex-wives were changed in the film, giving the filmmaker creative license with the characters. Belfort's first-wife in the film is Teresa Petrillo (Cristin Milioti), but her real-life counterpart is Denise Lombardo. Denise met Belfort in high school, and the childhood sweethearts married in 1985 after Denise graduated from college. Belfort founded Stratton Oakmont while married to Denise, and they divorced after she found out about his affair in 1991 (per The U.S. Sun ). After their divorce, Denise led a low-profile life, staying out of the public eye.

Belfort's second-wife in the film is Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie). Naomi's real-life counterpart is Nadine Macaluso. Like Naomi, Nadine was a model and met Belfort at a party before they married in 1991. Nadine and Belfort had two children together and separated in 1998 as depicted in the film (per the U.S. Sun). Nadine got a Ph.D, becoming a marriage and family therapist. She lives in California with her second husband (per Daily Mail TV ).

Margot Robbie , who played Naomi in the film, met Nadine while preparing for her role. Robbie told IndieWire meeting Nadine helped her understand her character's motivations, saying, "I could do or say any horrible thing and know that my character's motivation was out of protection for her child. Whether or not the audience sees my side of events is another matter, but just to know my motivation can give me an authentic performance." She added how strong Nadine is, saying, "She's has to be, to have put up with Jordan and his shenanigans."

The original crew Belfort recruited from friends are composite characters

Although Belfort recruited the original crew for his Long Island brokerage firm from a group of friends; Alden "Sea Otter" Kupferberg (Henry Zebrowski), Robbie "Pinhead" Feinberg (Brian Sacca), Chester Ming (Kenneth Choi), and Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff (PJ Byrne) are composite characters with fictitious names. These characters are an amalgamation of numerous people who worked at Stratton Oakmont and do not represent actual people.

This didn't stop Andrew Greene, a board member of Stratton Oakmont, from filing a defamation suit against the film's production company. He was offended by the depiction of "Rugrat" in the film, saying the character damaged his reputation. He called the character a "criminal, drug user, degenerate, depraved and devoid of any morals or ethics" (per The Guardian ).

In 2018, Greene lost his suit . In 2020, an appellate court threw the suit out, stating that the filmmakers, by creating composite characters and fictitious names, "took appropriate steps to ensure that no one would be defamed by the Film," (per the Hollywood Reporter ). The filmmaker included the hijinks of the employees at Stratton Oakmont in the film to illustrate the raucous corporate culture of the brokerage firm, rather than defame former employees.

Donnie Azoff doesn't exist, his real-life counterpart is Danny Porush

Jonah Hill 's character Donnie Azoff in "The Wolf of Wall Street" doesn't exist. He is a composite character created to avoid defaming anyone while making the film. To anyone who is familiar with Jordan Belfort and Stratton Oakmont's story, it's obvious Danny Porush is Azoff's real-life counterpart. Porush disputes the veracity of both Belfort's memoir and the film, telling Mother Jones , "The book ... is a distant relative of the truth, and the film is a distant relative of the book." Porush admits to swallowing the goldfish, but under different circumstances than depicted in the film.

As reported by Mother Jones, Porush was Belfort's friend and business partner between 1988 and 1996. Like Belfort, he cooperated with authorities, ultimately serving 39 months in prison for his securities and financial crimes at Stratton Oakmont. Porush disputes the throwing of dwarves, insists there were never animals in Stratton Oakmont — other than the goldfish he ate — but admits to the wild parties and taking part in the depravity and excesses encouraged at the brokerage firm, saying "Stratton was like a fraternity."

Porush told Mother Jones, "My main complaint [regarding the memoir] besides his inaccuracy was his using my real name," something that was remedied when the filmmakers created the composite character of Donnie Azoff. Ultimately, Porush doesn't seem to hold a grudge despite his grievances with the inaccuracies saying, "Hey, it's Hollywood ... I know they want to make a movie that sells. And Jordan wrote whatever he could to make the book sell."

Danny Porush's wife introduced Jordan Belfort to her husband

In "The Wolf of Wall Street," Donnie Azoff (Danny Porush's fictional counterpart) approaches Belfort at a restaurant about what he does for a living, after seeing Belfort's Jaguar in the parking lot. In reality, Belfort met his future business partner, Danny Porush, through Danny's wife Nancy.

Porush and Nancy lived in the same building in Queens where Belfort lived with his first wife Denise, as Nancy told Doree Lewak with The New York Post in 2013 shortly before "The Wolf of Wall Street" came out. Nancy explained how she took the same bus into the city for work as Belfort, saying, "the commute to the city each day was hard because I became pregnant right away. There was a nice boy from our building on the same bus who always gave up his seat for me. His name was Jordan Belfort, and he worked in finance ... I pushed Danny to talk to Jordan ... After just one conversation, Danny came back and announced he was taking the Series 7 exam to get his stockbroker's license."

In the New York Post article, Nancy detailed how her husband changed once he began working with Belfort and making serious cash, saying, "Up until then, Danny never seemed to care about money ... I saw him morph from a nice wholesome guy into showy narcissist whom I hardly recognized anymore." After being arrested for securities fraud, Porush left Nancy for another woman. They are now divorced, and he lives in Florida with his second wife. We can't help wondering if Nancy ever regrets introducing her ex-husband to Belfort.

Belfort's destroyed yacht once belonged to Coco Chanel

Jordan Belfort bought a yacht and named it after his second wife. In the film, the boat is named Naomi after the character played by Margot Robbie, but in real life the boat was called the Nadine . True to the film, Belfort insisted his boat's captain take the yacht into choppy waters, where the boat happened upon powerful but unpredictable mistrals, leading to the Nadine sinking into the Mediterranean Sea in an event known as Mayday In The Med . Belfort, his guests and crew, were rescued by the Italian coast guard.

What the film doesn't tell you is that Belfort's yacht had an interesting past. Belfort's vintage yacht once belonged to none other than the famous French fashion designer Coco Chanel. Chanel is known for her outspoken nature and is associated with quite a few fiercely female quotes. Chanel is quoted as saying , "As soon as you set foot on a yacht, you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom." Rather than avoid luxury yachts all together, Chanel made the boss move of buying her own in 1961, naming her the Matilda (per Boss Hunting ).

As bizarre as this interlude of the film was, it actually happened, with one major difference. In an interview with The Room Live , Belfort explained how the group waiting to be rescued had to push the helicopter off of the boat to make room for a rescue team to lower down onto the yacht. In the film, the waves knock the helicopter off of the yacht. Belfort also explains that although his private jet also crashed, it was 10 days after the yacht sunk, not at the same time, as it was depicted in the film for dramatic effect.

Steve Madden spent time in prison for stock fraud

Although they don't talk about it in the movie, Steve Madden also went to prison for stock fraud and money laundering along with Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. The New York Times reported in 2002 that Madden "was arrested in 2000 as a result of an investigation of a scheme to manipulate 23 initial public stock offerings underwritten by the companies Stratton Oakmont and Monroe Parker Securities ... It included the initial public stock offering of his own company in 1993."

True to the film, Danny Porush, Azoff's real-life counterpart, really was childhood friends with Steve Madden. Like Belfort and Porush, Madden loved debauchery and Quaaludes, so much so he didn't finish college because of how much he was partying. Although Madden wrote about his wild days in his memoir, his time partying with the Stratton Oakmont "fraternity" was not included in the film. Stratton Oakmont took Madden's company public, making him instantly rich ( per The New York Post ).

As reported by the New York Post, Madden wrote about this period of his life in his memoir "The Cobbler: How I Disrupted an Industry, Fell from Grace & Came Back Stronger Than Ever." In his book, Madden wrote, "Jordan was like no one else I have ever met before or since. He became one of the most influential people in my life ... I was pumping and dumping [stocks] right alongside them." Madden wound up serving 31 months for his financial crimes and his involvement with Stratton Oakmont's schemes. Unlike Porush and Belfort, Madden could continue working at his company after being released from prison.

Belfort was ordered to pay restitution to his victims

When Belfort was convicted of money laundering and stock fraud in 2003 for Stratton Oakmont's "pump and dump" schemes, he was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay over $110.4 million in restitution (per Crime Museum ). Belfort only served 22 months for his crimes and a judge ordered him to pay half of his income once he was released from prison.

In 2013, just after the film was released, CNN reported Belfort had only contributed a little over $11 million to the fund for victims, much obtained from confiscated possessions. At the time the film came out, Belfort allegedly stated he would hand over all of his royalties from the film and the book. But in 2018, Fortune Magazine reported government officials claimed Belfort still owed $97 million, meaning that over the previous 5 years, Belfort only contributed an additional $2 million dollars to the victims' fund. $2 million dollars is more than most of us will ever see, but Belfort is still making good money as a motivational speaker.

As reported by Fortune Magazine, there is a disagreement between Belfort's attorneys and prosecutors over what income can be garnished for restitution. Belfort reportedly earned around $9 million dollars between 2013 and 2015, but neglected to pay half of those earnings to the victims' fund. Although Belfort claims he will feel better after he has paid the money back, he doesn't seem to be fulfilling his end of the court order. Belfort obviously still enjoys a life of luxury and it is hard to reconcile his claims of being reformed with his reluctance to pay the restitution to his victims. In her New York Post article Nancy Porush reminded us, "Greed is not good — it's ugly."

Tommy Chong was Belfort's cellmate in prison

"The Wolf of Wall Street" ends with Jordan Belfort in a cushy white-collar prison with tennis courts, but the film didn't tell us who Belfort's cellmate was. Belfort and Tommy Chong of the comedy duo "Cheech & Chong" were cellmates before Chong was released. In 2014, Belfort spoke to Stephen Galloway with The Hollywood Reporter about his time in prison. He explained, "[Chong] was in the process of writing his book. We used to tell each other stories at night, and I had him rolling hysterically on the floor. The third night he goes, 'You've got to write a book.' So I started writing, and I knew it was bad. It was terrible. I was about to call it quits and then I went into the prison library and stumbled upon 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' by Tom Wolfe, and I was like, 'That's how I want to write!'"

In 2014 Chong spoke with Adrian Lee at Maclean's about how he met Belfort in prison and giving Belfort feed back on his pages, saying "After a while he showed me what he had written, and it was the only time I had critiqued someone really heavy — usually when someone writes something, you say, 'Oh yeah, that's great, keep going.' But I knew instinctively he had a lot more to offer than what he showed me ... I told him ... 'No, you've got to write those stories you've been telling me at night. Your real life is much more exciting than any kind of imaginary story you could come up with.'"

Stratton Oakmont was never on Wall Street

Although the memoir and film are titled "The Wolf of Wall Street," Jordan Belfort only worked on Wall Street for several months in 1987 at L. F. Rothschild. Black Monday put an end to his days at a Manhattan based brokerage firm. As we see in the film, it was on Long Island that Belfort got a job at the Investor's Center selling penny stocks from the pink sheets and found his calling: his get-rich-quick scheme, selling nearly worthless stocks for a 50 percent commission to people who couldn't afford to lose the money (per NY Times ).

Belfort soon went out on his own, founding Stratton Oakmont with Danny Porush, where they began targeting rich investors using a persuasive script and "pump and dump" tactics — making Belfort, Porush and their brokers rich, while leaving their clients broke. As reported by the Washington Post in 1996, Stratton Oakmont was disciplined for securities violations as early as 1989, and continued to be disciplined almost annually.

Jimmy So with The Daily Beast, maintains, "The problem with 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is that the self-fashioned wolf was nowhere near the real Wall Street." The memoir and film made the brokerage firm seem like a much bigger deal than they really were, despite the financial ruin they left in their wake. Stratton Oakmont's offices were on Long Island, not Wall Street.

Jordan Belfort was never called 'The Wolf of Wall Street'

Scorsese's film makes it seem like Forbes gave Jordan Belfort the nickname, "The Wolf of Wall Street" when they published a takedown about Stratton Oakmont's questionable business practices. Forbes wrote an article about Stratton Oakmont's dirty deeds in 1991, but the article did not call Belfort "the wolf of wall street." In 2013, Forbes revisited Roula Khalaf's original article, where she called Belfort a "twisted Robin Hood who takes from the rich and gives to himself and his merry band of brokers." 

Danny Porush, Belfort's former partner and one-time friend, told Mother Jones  that nobody at the firm ever used the "wolf" moniker. As reported by CNN , Belfort came up with the nickname himself for his memoir. As Porush told Mother Jones, Belfort's "greatest gift was always that of a self-promoter." But as Joe Nocera with the NY Times said, "who would ever buy a ticket to a movie called 'The Wolf of Long Island'?"

Belfort had a head-on collision while driving under the influence of Quaaludes

When the real Jordan Belfort crashed his car while on Quaaludes, he was in a Mercedes Benz rather than a Lamborghini, and someone was actually injured. Belfort had a head-on collision while driving home from the country club where he used the pay phone, sending the woman he collided with to the hospital (per The Daily Beast ). None of Belfort's crimes are victimless.

This type of discrepancy is central to the complaints about both Belfort's memoir and the film. Although Belfort says he regrets his crimes, he is too busy boasting about the parties, the riches, the drugs, and the sex to sound like he regrets anything except getting caught. Belfort's memoir and the film it inspired might seem like a celebration of greed and excess, but they are also a depiction of the ostentatious behavior that eventually drew the attention of the authorities.

Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" might not tell you everything about the true story, but what it does is reveal how audiences love watching someone else's destructive behavior. We get all the thrills and none of the consequences. As screenwriter Terence Winter told Esquire, "I'd much rather watch somebody who isn't responsible, who makes all the wrong decisions and hangs out with the wrong people. That's more satisfying. We may live like saints, but when it comes to our fantasy life, everybody's got a little larceny in their soul."

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Jordan Belfort Yacht: The True Story and The Wolf of Wall Street Version

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The true Jordan Belfort yacht story is as strange and unbelievable as the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street depicts it to be. There are several insider stories behind the sinking of the mighty yacht that are not widely known but are quite interesting and different from the reel version in several ways.

Nadine yacht model

What happened to the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine? As the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street shows, the superyacht Nadine sank close to the coast of Sardinia in 1997 while battling what many calls “the storm of the century”. Jordan Belfort narrates the event in detail in the memoir describing his life in the 90s, which is what the Martin Scorsese movie is about.

Jordan belfort yacht sailing

Did the yacht scene in The Wolf of Wall Street actually happen? The Jordan Belfort yacht sinking scene in The Wolf of Wall Street was heavily inspired by a real-life event, though the movie did take some creative liberties. For one, the yacht was called Naomi in the reel version since the name of Belfort’s wife (played by Margot Robbie) was changed in the movie. In reality, the yacht was named Nadine.

Interesting insights on the sinking as portrayed in the movie

The movie captured each passenger’s fear and stress when the yacht got caught up in the 70-knot storm. There is some hilarity when Belfort starts yelling for his drugs to avoid the horror of dying sober. Several rescue attempts were made, but each was called off due to rising risks. By some twist of luck, the yacht’s engine room remained undamaged primarily for a while, because of which they were able to make their way through the sea.

The best features of the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine

The 167 ft Nadine, as its former passengers claim, was beautiful. When owned by Coco Chanel under the name Matilda, the yacht had five staterooms, large dining areas, and a helipad. The interiors were furnished with dark teak paneling. Each new owner customized the yacht’s name and interiors based on their tastes.

Which model was portrayed as the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine in the movie?

Martin Scorsese got the yacht Lady M to represent Nadine onscreen. While Nadine had a luxuriously vintage charm, Lady M is a modern vessel with contemporary features. Lady M was manufactured in 2022 by Intermarine Savannah, while Nadine was built in 1961 by Witsen & Wis. The 147 ft Lady M is currently worth $12 million and is similar to Benetti yachts in its glamorous design.

Jordan Belfort’s life today

The entrepreneur and speaker Jordan Belfort’s shenanigans are well-known thanks to his detailed memoir and the hit movie based on some parts of his life. He spent 2 years in prison and now has practically negative net worth at 59 years of age. Yet, his extraordinary motivational speaking skills continue to attract and inspire people even today. It is easy for anyone watching the movie to wonder if many of the incidents are exaggerated. But considering Belfort’s eccentric life, even the Nadine sinking incident remains another regular anecdote shared in the movie.

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Meet the Real Wolf of Wall Street Superyacht Built for Coco Chanel

The yachting disaster is one of the most dramatic scenes in Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street , and like many of the tales in the Leonardo DiCaprio flick, it’s based on a true story. In real life, predatory tycoon Jordan Belfort bought a yacht in 1993 called Big Eagle and renamed her Nadine , after his English-born second wife. The vessel had been built in 1961 by Witsen & Vis in Holland for fashion icon Coco Chanel, but had undergone many transformations by the time Belfort got his mitts on it. Originally 121 feet long, in the 1970s she was extended by nearly 15 feet, and in 1988 she was cut in half and had another 29-foot section grafted on, finally totaling 167 feet.

The luxury yacht used in Scorsese’s film actually bears little resemblance to the  Nadine , being a far more modern vessel. The director hired the 148-foot  Lady M , built by Intermarine Savannah in 2002 and refit in 2011, for filming. It features luxury accommodations for 10 guests, and a marble and granite interior with gold accents.

In Coco Chanel’s day the yacht was mainly used to cruise from Monaco to Deauville for the summer horse racing season. The real  Nadine  sank in 1997 during a storm off the east coast of Sardinia while crossing from Porto Cervo to Capri, much as the movie depicts. Belfort has said that his insistence on sailing in a storm caused the yacht to capsize. Luckily, everyone on board at the time was rescued by the Italian coast guard. 

Jared Paul Stern

Jared Paul Stern, JustLuxe's Editor-at-Large, is the Executive Editor of Maxim magazine and has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the New York Times' T magazine, GQ, WWD, Vogue, New York magazine, Details, Hamptons magazine, Playboy, BlackBook, the New York Post, Man of the World, and Bergdorf Goodman magazine among others. The founding editor of the Page Six magazine, he has al... (Read More)

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Jordan Belfort Yacht: The True Story and The Wolf of Wall Street Version

The true Jordan Belfort yacht story is as strange and unbelievable as the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street depicts it to be. There are several insider stories behind the sinking of the mighty yacht that are not widely known but are quite interesting and different from the reel version in several ways.

What happened to the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine?

As the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street shows, the superyacht Nadine sank close to the coast of Sardinia in 1997 while battling what many calls “the storm of the century”. Jordan Belfort narrates the event in detail in the memoir describing his life in the 90s, which is what the Martin Scorsese movie is about.

Before getting into the details of the sinking, it is worth noting that the 37m yacht had a long and interesting history. She carried renowned celebrities like Coco Chanel before reaching Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie) and was one of the largest yachts in the East Coast’s waters.

While the yacht was initially manufactured for a French native and given the name Matilda, he backed out of the deal. This led Coco Chanel to buy the beautiful yacht with the low superstructure that Dutch yachts are famous for.

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The yacht took on different names as it passed through famous hands, even those of the murder trial acquitted Melvin Lane Powers. Belfort named the yacht after his wife and renovated it with the capacity to carry a helicopter, 6 Jetskis, 4 motorbikes, and much more. Under Belfort’s ownership, the yacht witnessed a series of wild parties that were like unlimited glamour and fun in a package until disaster struck unexpectedly.

Did the yacht scene in The Wolf of Wall Street actually happen?

The Jordan Belfort yacht sinking scene in The Wolf of Wall Street was heavily inspired by a real-life event, though the movie did take some creative liberties. For one, the yacht was called Naomi in the reel version since the name of Belfort’s wife (played by Margot Robbie ) was changed in the movie. In reality, the yacht was named Nadine.

The movie further depicts Belfort’s helicopter getting thrown off the yacht by strong waves. In reality, the yacht’s crew went up to the deck and pushed off the helicopter so that Italian navy seals would have a space to land. The yacht’s itinerary was altered a bit by the movie’s director Martin Scorsese to add to the drama, though the power of the storm was scarily accurate.

Belfort admitted that the yacht’s captain Mark Elliot explicitly warned them not to sail to Sardinia on that fateful night. But according to the movie, there was a business opportunity in the city that Belfort could not bear to miss out on despite his wife’s protests.

Some sources claim that in reality, the passengers were simply eager to hit the golf course at Sardinia the next morning. They refused to pay heed to the captain’s warning and asked him to go through the storm, which eventually led to the famous Jordan Belfort yacht sinking incident. Therefore, unfortunately, if someone wants to have a yacht rental in Dubai or any other destination, they have missed their chance with this yacht.

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Interesting insights on the sinking as portrayed in the movie

The movie captures the fear and stress that each passenger felt when the yacht got caught up in the 70-knot storm. There is some hilarity when Belfort starts yelling for his drugs to avoid the horror of dying sober.

Several rescue attempts were made, but due to rising risks, each of them was called off. By some twist of luck, the yacht’s engine room remained mostly undamaged for a while, because of which they were able to make their way through the sea.

In the end, everyone survived the incident without any major injuries. At dawn, the Nadine made its way 1000m under the water only 20 miles away from Sardinia’s coast. Now, the movie’s audience gets to watch the Jordan Belfort yacht story unfold on the screen with a pinch of humor.

The Nadine’s captain Mark Elliot’s heroic actions did not go unnoticed. He was praised for leading all the passengers to safety, though he was able to get out of the yacht only 10 minutes before it sank. The captain also admitted that the insurance was granted immediately considering the ferocity of the storm. As for the yacht, many still wonder about the highly expensive equipment that had to be thrown into the water and is probably rusting away at the bottom of the sea.

The best features of the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine

The 167 ft Nadine, as its former passengers claim, was a beautiful yacht. When owned by Coco Chanel under the name Matilda, the yacht had five staterooms, large dining areas, and a helipad. The interiors were furnished with dark teak paneling. Each new owner customized the yacht’s name and interiors based on their tastes.

Belfort decorated the Nadine lavishly with a variety of mirrors and set a vintage deco theme. He renovated the upper deck to fit a crane that was able to stow his Turbine Seawind seaplane. The yacht carried the best dive gear available in the market plus a variety of Belfort’s ‘toys’ such as his motorbikes and jetskis.

Which model was portrayed as the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine in the movie?

Martin Scorsese got the yacht Lady M to represent Nadine onscreen. While Nadine actually had a luxuriously vintage charm to it, Lady M is a modern vessel with contemporary features. Lady M was manufactured in 2022 by Intermarine Savannah, while Nadine was built in 1961 by Witsen & Wis. The 147 ft Lady M is currently worth $12 million and is similar to Benetti yachts in its glamorous design.

Jordan Belfort’s life today

The entrepreneur and speaker Jordan Belfort’s shenanigans are well-known thanks to his detailed memoir and the hit movie based on some parts of his life. He spent 2 years in prison and now, at 59 years of age, has a practically negative net worth. Yet, his extraordinary motivational speaking skills continue to attract and inspire people even today.

It is easy for anyone watching the movie to wonder if many of the incidents are exaggerated. But considering Belfort’s eccentric life, even the Nadine sinking incident remains another regular anecdote shared in the movie.

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kc135delta Member

I saw this m/y on another thread here and it peaked my curiosity. Very narrow beam, apparently extended a couple times and then it sank off the coast of france. Does anyone know where she was built? Specs? Engines? Any sister ships? And why did she sink?

Norseman Senior Member

And why did she sink? Click to expand...

captholli Senior Member

Built in Holland in one of the founding federation of ship builders that finally became the modern day two Feadship yards of Van Lent and DeVries. Believe she was launched as CoCo Chanel (not sure) than named Jan Pamela and "Jumbolized" or a mid section of 30' fabricated @ Merrill Stevens and installed in 1982. Sank while making passage from Naples to Sardinia as the loss has been well documented.

NYCAP123 Senior Member

Back at the time of her sinking I'd heard that a forward hatch blew open in rough seas and it was a done deal from there. They tried to jettison the toys to regain stability, but it was too little, too late.

K1W1 Senior Member

Hi, The Skipper of it when it sank is a well known and active character within the industry to this very day. I found this on another site. Nadine's sinking was indeed caused by the violent waves. A foredeck hatch was smashed, allowing water to flood the crew quarters and bringing the yacht down by the bow. This allowed more waves to break over the fordeck and they caused one of the large tenders carried there to shift, breaking one of the dining salon windows that overlooked the foredeck, which causing flooding on the maindeck. As if that wasn't bad enough, the violent motion of the yacht caused the swim platform to rip off the hull, allowing the lazarette to flood.

Ahh, now its coming back to me, The first lengthening was the 12' cockpit addition @ Merrill Stevens in 1980 the original machinery in place when launched was Detroit Diesel 12-71 naturals for mains and 6-71 gens. Mains replaced in 1991 with Cat 3412 and Gens replaced with N.L. -This work was also done by Merrill Stevens in Miami.

captholli said: Mains replaced in 1991 with Cat 3412 and Gens replaced with N.L. -This work was also done by Merrill Stevens in Miami. Click to expand...

C4ENG Senior Member

But then not to long after the Nadine sinking, Mr. Little hired that Capt to run Starship. Proved to be a good idea because that captain did an excellent job marketing the vessel for charter. I then felt fortunate enough to be there when Mr. Little did has last boat ride before departing for the big boat in the sky. We went to Freeport Bahamas Port Luycaya. The unique thing was, on that trip I never seen him happier.

Hi, Uncle Bernie as we used to call him was an outstanding Owner and one heck of a gentleman to work for or be associated with.

I was the Engineer from '80 to '84 when Mel Powers out of Dallas owned her as Jan Pamela and Norm Dahl was Capt. So I have first hand knowledge of what, when and where the cockpit and and mid section were added right down to a young Kiwi, Paul Solenicks contracted to provide the electrical work through his newly formed Co. Tess Marine. After Mel filed chapter 13 the boat went up for auction and the Whole crew went on to Empress Subaru.

nas130 Member

The autobiography "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Catching the Wolf of Wall Street" both have some information about the sinking of the Nadine. The movie "Boiler Room" was allegedly the story of Nadines owner’s business on Long Island. I think the book about megayacht disasters also has some interviews with the captain and crew that were taken after sinking.

Hi, Captholli- Would your first name be Mark by any chance?

No, But enjoying the anonymity as you do "Kiwi" Cheers!

Hi, I asked because in 1984 I met a guy who was Chief on Empress Subaru and I thought his name was Mark Hollingsworth. He also got speared in the foot with a dart at a party I was at. By the way Paul Salenieks expanded his co - Tess Electrical Marine and sold it out to a multi national.

Neil Rooney Senior Member

Seawind with Allison C-18 I have been a passenger in that Seawind a few times. She was powered by an Allison C-18 Turbine with a cut down 3 blade prop. Quite a fast plane. The plane was in the USA when Nadine went down. Do read the account in "The Wolf OF Wall Street".

Benprez New Member

this boat was once owned by Jordan Belfort the wolf of wall street it sunk watch the youtube story jordan belfort yacht story

Hi, It had a few more interesting Owners as well. The late great Bernie Little and the infamous Mel Powers to name just two.

CaptTom Senior Member

Benprez said: ↑ this boat was once owned by Jordan Belfort the wolf of wall street it sunk watch the youtube story jordan belfort yacht story Click to expand...

stgeorge123 New Member

MY Nadine With the new movie 'The Wolf of Wall Strret' about to come out, I relooked at this thread and discovered it has never been clearly answered. The 'Nadine' was originally built at Niklaas Vitsen und vis in Aalkmar Holland circa 1962 for a wealthy French industrialist - she was floated as 'Mathilda' and retained this name until May 1977 when she was renamed Coco Chanel and crossed over to the US. She was originally fitted with GM Diesels and Mercedes gensets.The next time she was over in the Med, if my memory serves me right was in 1988 at the Cannes Film Festival, on charter having come across on Dock Express. Jordan Belfort was onboard with guests and full crew when she sadly sank off Corsica (all rescued fortunately) - theories and way she sank are numerous and probably mostly inaccurate, but I believe her length, by now 53 metres instead of the 40 metres she was originally built at, contributed. However, having sailed on this vessel as Ch.Off from 1970 - 1977, she should never have set sail in the weather conditions that day, which eventually were worse than forecast - whatever the Owner said!!

Hi, Mel Powers owned it when it was stretched by Merril Stevens in Miami. It lurked around the area for a few years and the late Bernie Little expressed an interest in it when it was called Jan or Jam Pamela and was laying at Merril Stevens in 1988. I was working for BLL on something else and was asked to go take a look. I next saw it when I was in Astilleros in Palma in the summer of 1989. Follwing this it was acquired by BLL and I worked on the refit when it was repowered with CAT 3412's and CAT Gensets in late 1992. The rest as they say is history - there are varying accounts of many historical events so this fits well.

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The sinking of the Nadine

SOURIS – The gray hulk of the Nadine looms out of the mist in Souris harbour, tugging gently on the lines that hold the aging trawler to her berth.

Some Souris residents think the trawler is an eyesore and want it removed.

Others like it there. They say it’s what a seafaring town like this one is all about and tourists love it.

A letter of complaint to council recently revived discussion about the Nadine, which sank just off the Iles de la Madeleine 12 years ago.

Mayor Joe O’Keefe confirmed that the vessel’s Ontario-based salvager, Don Gordon, who brought the boat to Souris, pays his berthage fees and has every right to leave it there.

The ship is up for sale and, according to Souris wharfinger Art Robichaud, “it is in pretty good shape considering what it’s been through.”

The boat is moored directly below the remains of the old Usen Fisheries plant, which burned almost 10 years ago.

Usen was Souris’ main employer and its own trawlers once crowded into the space the Nadine now holds. But they are ghosts of the past now, all of them.

The Nadine, however, is a special story.

This boat was part of the Madelipeche fleet in the Iles de la Madeleine when it sank in a December storm in 1990, killing all but two of its 10-person crew.

George Gaudet, a writer on the islands, knows the story well. He said in a population of 12,000-13,000, having eight people die at Christmas deals a heavy blow.

The following is an abbreviated version of Gaudet’s tale of the Nadine.

Only the captain, Robert Poirier, and his brother, Serge, survived. The Poiriers escaped death by the slimmest margin. The others, seven men and one woman, had no such luck.

Gaudet said on the night of the storm, the wind was blowing at more than 55 knots. Onboard, almost all were asleep. All 10 crew members were exhausted and anxious to return to port.

“The catch was good, in fact, exceptional,” Gaudet said.

And on the back deck, the last fish net, weighing roughly 55,000 pounds, lay where it was hauled: a common practice on this type of boat, especially at such temperatures and with the sea constantly washing the gunwales.

The boat plunged on through 15-foot waves and nothing on board seemed abnormal until suddenly, around 10:15 p.m., the trawler did a surprising yaw, and the rudder jammed, leaving everybody helpless.

The helmsman woke the captain but in moments they knew all was lost.

They rang the alarm for all crew to get into survival gear and rush to the wheelhouse. As one of the men worked at releasing the lifeboat and the captain went to assure all hands were on deck, the ship went black.

At the same time, a huge wave swept across the deck and the boat was laid on its side and plunged backwards into the sea.

In moments, the Nadine sank.

The captain later described the water as “so cold it froze your thoughts.” He had been able to get into his survival suit but had no time to put on the mittens. His hands were soon paralysed by the cold.

He found crew member Augustin Vigneau swimming in only a T-shirt.

Poirier inflated his own survival suit and pulled his crewman between his legs, helping him float and providing some sort of protection against the cold.

At the same time, he saw Emile Poirier, who had no time to put on his hood. His suit was filled with water.

He hooked Emile to his belt and tried to put his hood on, but unable to feel his own hands, the captain was unsuccessful and hypothermia did its job.

Eight and a half hours later, the coast guard and other fishing vessels located the captain in a state of advanced hypothermia.

A deceased Emile was still fixed on his belt, and the body of Augustin Vigneau was floating close by. Robert Poirier held on to both of them until the last moment.

Serge Poirier, the captain’s brother, was the only survivor in a raft found drifting almost two miles away. He was lying on the rubber floor, unconscious and barely alive.

When the Nadine was raised, Estelle Laberge was found locked in her own closet.

The inquiry that followed felt that since the ship was probably almost upside down when Estelle realized what was happening, she mistook the closet door for the escape door which were side by side.

Another crewman was found inside the wheelhouse. Gerard Vigneau was still at the helm, holding it, with his life jacket passed around only his arm.

The true cause of the sinking was never established, although suspicion pointed to deck hatches that were found open when the divers saw the shipwreck for the first time.

Others, including the captain, felt the hatches were opened by pressurized air blowing them away while the ship was sinking.

The captain also had reported many concerns of a defect in the rudder compartment, said Gaudet.

As well, the possibility of a transmission malfunction which may have moved it automatically into reverse may have helped sink the boat.

In the summer of 2000, the Nadine was refloated and docked at the wharf in Souris. Now, no one seems to want it.

Moe Cormier, with Transport Canada in Charlottetown, said the vessel has been checked and found to be seaworthy and its current owner is paying his berthage bills and is in good standing.

Today, after years of misery, Gaudet reports that Robert Poirier is fishing again.

In 1996, he bought a lobster fishing licence and a small boat which he operates with his brother, Serge.

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Mystery surrounds sunken, dismantled luxury yacht with no confirmed owner

ABC Capricornia

Topic: Maritime Accidents and Incidents

Jamie McIntyre, pictured with wife Nadine Roberts, formerly owned the yacht but says he sold it. ( Facebook )

The luxury pleasure cruiser started taking on water on a weeknight in May, with just the caretaker on board.

Unregistered and unable to berth at the nearby marina, it had been anchored off the coast of Yeppoon in Queensland. 

But the superyacht had dragged its anchor in the rough weather, and was heading towards the rocky shore south of Lammermoor Beach.

As it drifted and sank into the ocean, maritime crews rescued the caretaker and towed the million-dollar yacht to safer waters. 

The mystery superyacht creating a logistical nightmare for authorities was shrouded by a chequered past. 

As it ran aground, baffled Yeppoon locals watched salvagers cut the marooned vessel into pieces, as debris washed up on the pristine coastline. 

The superyacht was deconstructed over the course of a week. ( Supplied )

Richie Cunningham skippered for Mr McIntyre a decade ago. ( Facebook )

No-one came forward to claim ownership of the boat. 

But accusations were quick to fly. 

"This couldn't happen to a nicer person," boat captain Richie Cunningham told his Facebook followers in a video from Lammermoor Beach, with the partially submerged superyacht in the frame behind him. 

"This is karma at work."

The former owner banned from business

The swipe was at Gold Coast identity Jamie McIntyre, a banned businessman previously known for hosting lavish parties in Surfers Paradise.

In 2016, a Federal Court judge banned Mr McIntyre from managing corporations for 10 years, after he was found to have run five unlawful managed investment schemes, which cost 152 investors $7 million.

Mr McIntyre has been tied to the sunken superyacht, but strongly denies that he is its current owner.

Mr McIntyre with Ms Roberts (together, right). ( Facebook )

"It was owned by a boat syndicate," Mr McIntyre told ABC Capricornia in a text, "mostly overseas owners who don't live in Australia."

Mr McIntyre said he had plans to buy the boat as "a wedding present".

"I used to own it and was buying it back as shareholders wanted it sold, once its commercial survey for charter was complete." 

The influencer, the 'Colombian playboy', and the international syndicates

Mr McIntyre married Brisbane influencer and "entrepreneur" Nadine Roberts in May.

Ms Roberts has not responded to requests for comment for this story. ( Facebook )

Ms Roberts' Instagram feed lists a press pass picturing her as a "journalist" for an anti-vax website. Both have appeared as speakers and performers at anti-vaccination rallies.

Two days before the superyacht sank, a company called Boat Syndicate was registered in Ms Roberts' name.

The company's co-director is listed as Alejandro Mendieta Blanco, a luxury goods buyer and self-described "Colombian playboy", who was jailed in 2020 for receiving stolen gold jewellery and a Louis Vuitton handbag. 

Alejandro Mendieta Blanco describes himself as a "Colombian playboy". ( Facebook )

Neither Ms Roberts nor Mr Mendieta Blanco have responded to requests for comment.

But Mr McIntyre denies Boat Syndicate is the yacht's owner.

"Boat Syndicate was a company set up to buy it, but as it sunk [the] sale obviously can't go through," Mr McIntyre said in a text to the ABC.

Another syndicate listed on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission lists Ms Roberts and Mr Mendieta Blanco as shareholders, with Ms Roberts listed as secretary and director.

Alejandro Mendieta Blanco was jailed for receiving stolen gold jewellery and a Louis Vuitton handbag. ( Supplied )

Known as Boat Swap Syndicate, that company was deregistered in February.

Another of the former Boat Swap Syndicate shareholders, a Turkey-based financial planner, confirmed the syndicate used to own the sunken yacht.

Mr McIntyre did not respond when asked about that syndicate, and has refused to clarify who the current owner is.

"I spoke to some of the shareholders," Mr McIntyre said.

"They said they have no interest in speaking to 'fake journos who works [sic] for mainstream media outlets like the ABC'.

"It must be a very slow news year in Rockhampton," Mr McIntyre said.

"You don't need to speak to anyone … you need to get a life." 

The party boat

Mr McIntyre had plenty of bikini-clad partygoers on board his luxury cruises, his former skipper says. ( Supplied )

Boat captain Richie Cunningham said he skippered for Mr McIntyre a decade ago, when he hosted luxury cruises along the Gold Coast with a boat known as Livin' I.

"I guess the standard operating procedure was party mode," Mr Cunningham said about the time he worked for Mr McIntyre.

"There were plenty of young bikini-clad partygoers, and Jamie and his friends, having a great time.

"And that's all wonderful. But where I drew the line was overloading the vessel."

Mr Cunningham said he quit over alleged safety concerns.

"It's just not viable to have 30 or 40 people trying to clamber all over a 58-foot sports cruiser."

Mr McIntyre claims Mr Cunningham was sacked and his comment on Facebook was motivated by this.

"He can barely write, let alone count, more bulls**t from a sacked skipper," Mr McIntryre said.

Mr Cunningham said he understood the sunken boat to be called Livin' II and that it was not the first time it had been in trouble.

"It's very well known, particularly on the Gold Coast, as a vessel that had previously jammed itself under Sundale Bridge, and then was towed out very unceremoniously." 

Mr McIntyre responded, saying that the yacht was "illegally used by a boat manager and stand-in skipper for illegal charters without the owner's permission and crashed into a bridge".

"It's also run aground before on the Gold Coast near what's known as Bum's Bay just north of Sea World," Mr Cunningham said.

Mr McIntyre has a history of complex company structures and directorships which makes it difficult to track who owned the boat.

But the ABC understands Livin' II had previously been operating as a pleasure cruiser for Gold Coast Luxury Escapes, to which Ms Roberts is listed as a company director.

Mr McIntyre's former bookkeeper's husband was also listed as a director.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reported a previous company linked to Mr McIntyre was fined $20,000 in the Southport Magistrates Court in 2020 for hiring out the boat without a certificate of operation or a certificate of survey.

At the time, AMSA said authorities were alerted to the operation "after a paying passenger died from a medical condition during a cruise on December 31, 2018".

The ABC is not implying that Mr McIntyre was implicated in the death.

The owner of a marina in south-east Queensland, who wished to remain anonymous, said he kicked the boat out of his marina after witnessing unauthorised charters.

He said he almost got into a "punch on" with a DJ after "a busload of girls rocked up for a party" on the boat and that he told Mr McIntyre he had to leave his marina immediately.

The 'dark web of shipping'

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) would not respond to specific questions from the ABC about the sunken yacht's registration, insurance or ownership.

In a statement, MSQ general manager Kell Dillon said it was still investigating, in conjunction with AMSA.

"Owners are always responsible for maintaining their vessels or removing them from Queensland waters where they become unseaworthy," Mr Dillon said.

"MSQ has options to seize vessels and remove them as well as to recover costs where practicable through the courts."

Mr McIntyre said there had been "a commercial-in-confidence deal done with the Queensland government" to recover costs, but MSQ has not confirmed this.

Queensland Police said that, at this stage, it was not involved in the investigation, as that was MSQ's jurisdiction.

AMSA said it was "assisting Maritime Safety Queensland with ongoing enquiries".

If the boat is owned by an international syndicate, it's very difficult for the public to ascertain that information.

Ian Bray — the national coordinator for the International Transport Workers Federation — said ownership of international boats in Australia waters was incredibly murky.

Mr Bray said that, often, boats were registered under shell companies in tax havens, making it difficult for authorities to know who actually owned them and was responsible for them.

"It's completely unregulated," Mr Bray said.

"It's really the other dark web — the dark web of shipping.

"It's a global issue that governments need to start to pay attention to.

"When you consider that 90 per cent of the world's activity regarding trade is dependent on shipping, I think it's in everybody's interest that they do pay further attention to it."

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The story behind the shipwrecked Benetti Blue Gold

When Cyclone Pam left Blue Gold high and dry in Vanuatu, you’d have been forgiven for thinking her sailing days were over. But, says Kate Lardy , all is not lost

Like many sailors and captains, Nixon Sarai thought he could keep his vessel safe during a hurricane if he stayed on board. It wasn’t “his” yacht per se. Working on board Blue Gold , a 50 metre Benetti motor sailer, for six years at that point, he was her caretaker, hired by the owner to look after her in her home port of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu.

Blue Gold was no weekend warrior. The 360 gross tonne steel hull yacht had been through at least two hurricanes before: one at sea in the Indian Ocean where she pounded through 15 metre seas, and one four years earlier in Port Vila, which ended in her being temporarily grounded. The granddaddy of the big Perini Navis that came later, she was a trailblazer in explorer sailing yachts. Since her launch in 1982, she had circled the world and had spent the previous seven years on 1,000 nautical mile journeys to New Zealand and Fiji.

Also no stranger to storms, Sarai was born and raised in this remote South Pacific archipelago that weathers cyclones so regularly. He thought he knew what to expect, but what Mother Nature dished out the night of 13 March 2015 was like nothing anyone in Vanuatu had ever experienced before.

With a skeleton crew of five on board, and in the relative shelter of Havannah Harbour, tucked on the north-west corner of the main island of Efate and facing the smaller Moso Island to the west, he made sure he dug in both anchors deep. “I did my best to secure the boat, then we waited. People kept calling me saying, ‘Get out, get out, why are you staying on the boat?’ The wind got strong and I’m thinking I shouldn’t be on the boat.” But by then it was too late.

Cyclone Pam struck as a Category 5 storm, the most powerful and dangerous there is. As its eye skimmed past Efate, nearby Port Vila was enduring sustained winds of 250km/h. Yachts secured on moorings in Port Vila harbour fell like pins in a bowling alley, one crashing into the next. Havannah Harbour is only about two and a half kilometres across at most, but the south-east winds stirred up the protected water into huge five metre swells, Sarai estimates. “I felt like I was in the open sea."

“By 9.30pm the wind was really, really strong. I commanded the crew to stay together on board; no one was to go outside. They were panicking, they thought they were going to die.”

He tried to rally them, telling them that they were a team and that they had to think they were going to make it together. But the storm was still growing at that point, winds gusting to more than 320km/h. At 10.30pm Blue Gold was struck by Tukoro , a navy patrol boat. It was the kiss of death. The boat hit the yacht at the bow, breaking her starboard anchor chain. At 11.30pm, the port anchor gave up and Blue Gold hit the reef. Around midnight, at the height of the storm, a set of three giant swells carried the massive yacht to shore.

When daylight broke, Sarai, thanking God that he was still alive, was astounded to discover the yacht’s location. She had been deposited higher than anyone thought possible on the beach on Moso island. The crew survived the night – now the question became: could the yacht survive the grounding?

More than three years have passed since that fateful Friday the 13th and Blue Gold still languishes on the beach. Why she hasn’t yet been pulled off and refloated isn’t quite clear. “Part of the delay is that it’s been logistically challenging,” says Sean Meagher, who served as captain from 2008 to 2011. He has a close relationship with the owner’s family, so when the son called him 10 months ago while Meagher was doing a refit in New Zealand and asked him to check on the boat, he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s not like it is aground in New Zealand or even the Philippines, where they have great infrastructure,” says Meagher. “You don’t have the infrastructure and the tools without mounting a major operation. They’re waiting for tugboat availability now and it’s ‘island time’ to the umpteenth extreme.”

Meanwhile, Sarai’s team has been fending off visitors, ranging from curious onlookers to aggressive salvagers. This local support is what Meagher credits for the boat’s surprisingly good condition now. “Honestly, I was shocked when I looked at it,” says Meagher. “I thought it was going to be a complete disaster, but the crew has been taking good care of it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bad, but it’s not a derelict.” He went inside and found it dry, the hull and fuel tanks intact.

Meagher joined the yacht 10 years after the current owner purchased White Gull, renamed her Blue Gold and refitted her at RDM, a submarine facility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The yard work added a lot of redundancy, according to Meagher, so the yacht could continue exploring the world – which she did with the owner’s children and a tutor in tow. “He’s an adventurer in his own way,” says Meagher. “He definitely plays by his own rules… as do all of these guys; that’s what makes him successful.”

When Meagher first arrived in Vanuatu in 2008, he made a point of cultivating good relationships with the locals. “We really tried to be ambassadors. We’d host lunches for the government and tribal chiefs on board and did a project for the National Bank of Vanuatu, where we went to the remotest places and built satellite dishes, almost pro bono.

“Never disrespect their culture,” he advises. “That is a critical error for guys in my position. When an incident happens, you’re going to need local help.”

This philosophy came in handy when Blue Gold first went aground in Port Vila during a storm in 2011. Meagher had just left the boat but flew back to assist. “The local government knew me and it was a relatively easy process dealing with them. And that’s why the boat’s been allowed to stay on the beach as long as it has, because of those relationships.”

That doesn’t mean everyone’s OK with the yacht sitting there indefinitely, though. In June 2017, the chiefs of Moso and Sunae, the village nearest to Blue Gold , wrote to parliament to ask when the government would be removing the yacht. Sarai says that while Sunae is enjoying 60,000 vatu (approximately €470) each month from Blue Gold to develop the village, the chief is concerned about the environmental impact to the reef and harbour since the yacht has been there for so long.

The government’s response was that it had no legal right to remove Blue Gold . The Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jotham Napat, cited the Ports Act, as quoted in the Vanuatu Daily Post in an article written by Jane Joshua: “In any event which involves a wreckage, the Act does not have clear provisions for the Department of Ports and Harbour to address the issue. According to the current Act, this is the sole responsibility of the owner of the vessel.” The minister went on to say that they are looking at amending the Shipping Act to enable the government to remove wreckages after a predetermined deadline.

Meanwhile, the owner of this particular wreckage was entangled in an unrelated legal battle on the other side of the world, which may have added to the delay. He fully intends to remove her, though. Speaking through Meagher, he says the plan is to do a refit next year and sail the world again. “She is a magnificent lady. She has treated us all very well and deserves to have fun again,” the owner adds.

“It was a big part of the owner’s children’s childhoods,” expounds Meagher, “and now that they’re adults, they want to rekindle that for their own children.”

During all this time, Blue Gold might appear to be ripe for salvage picking. She has caught the eye of at least one yacht owner looking to add to his fleet of conservation charter yachts. Federico Angermeyer, resident of the Galápagos where he operates motor yacht Passion and the tall ship Mary Anne , has experience rescuing abandoned yachts and has admired Blue Gold since he first saw a brokerage listing more than a decade ago.

He searched online for her more recently and came across the piece in the Daily Post by Joshua and decided to pay the yacht a surprise visit last January. Using Google Earth, on which the yacht is clearly visible, as his guide, he arrived by water from Efate to a not-so-warm reception from Sarai’s vigilant crew, who are well versed in keeping visitors away. They did put him in touch with Sarai, though, and he subsequently corresponded with the owner’s son but not to the end he hoped for – not with salvage rights. He now has his lawyer looking into whether the yacht can be considered legally abandoned.

But maritime attorney Michael Moore says the fact that the owner has hired a crew to protect the boat indicates he has not abandoned it. “The vessel is not up for grabs as long as the owner has not abandoned it and the owner has the right to refuse offers of salvage,” says Moore. “For voluntary salvage, the vessel has to be ‘in peril’,” which in these circumstances, according to Moore, it is not.

The opposite of voluntary salvage is contract salvage and to this end, Blue Gold ’s owner has engaged a local salvager who’s been waiting for the highest of the high tides and using float bags, anchors and winches. “They’re really trying to be respectful of the environment, taking their time by floating it and not damaging the reef on the way out,” says Meagher. Making matters worse, the yacht’s swing keel had dropped and embedded itself in the coral. “They had to get inside there and jack the keel back up in the box.”

But very little progress has been made, according to Sarai, who says the next step requires the government tugboat; the owner is currently waiting on a quote for the cost.

In talking with Meagher, it’s clear that he has a soft spot for Blue Gold . He enjoyed what he calls the quintessential South Pacific adventure on her, complete with romance, volcanoes and savages. He laughs when he says the yacht almost killed him three times. “But on the flip side, that boat never let me down."

“I never pushed a boat as hard as I pushed that boat. I punched it through some of the biggest seas that I’ve ever seen, it just kept coming back for more,” says the well-travelled captain, who took his last yacht through the Northwest Passage – twice. “It’s just a great boat.”

He recalls the time he left Auckland on Blue Gold somewhat under the gun to make a New Year charter in Vanuatu. “We went right into a 10 metre wave. All of a sudden, we’re going downhill and I’m thinking, this is going to suck; then boom, we submarined it. I’d never submarined a boat before and it wasn’t that bad; it just kept trucking.

“It’s funny,” he continues, “wherever we went I would run into past crew members. I’d never been on a boat where so many people would come up to me with so many fond memories. The adventures they had and the abuse that this poor boat took was just staggering,” he says with a laugh. Perhaps that’s why, despite the lengthy time beached on Moso island, this doesn’t feel like the end of the story for Blue Gold .

“It has nine lives like you wouldn’t believe. The boat’s a tank,” says Meagher. “There are a lot of people that would like to see it rise from the ashes one more time.”

This feature is taken from the September 2018 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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The 5 tragic minutes that sank a superyacht

PORTICELLO, Italy — Survivors of a storm that sank a superyacht off Sicily recounted their ordeal to one of the doctors who rushed to their aid, with some saying it took mere minutes for the 180-foot ship to go down. 

Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News on the phone Thursday that he arrived in the seaside village of Porticello before dawn Monday, about an hour after the $40 million Bayesian sank in the violent and sudden storm.   

Of the 22 people onboard, 15 survived despite storm conditions and darkness, climbing onto a lifeboat before being rescued by a nearby sailboat. The crew members have made no public statements so far, though some have been interviewed by investigators.

“They told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down,” Genco said, recounting what the survivors told him. “All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries,” he said. 

It appears they had just minutes to abandon the sinking ship, Genco said. 

“They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there,” he said, “And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes.”

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the Bayesian's shipbuilder, told Sky News that there were no flaws with the design or construction of the yacht. He said their structure and keel made boats like that “unsinkable bodies.”

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he disavowed responsibility, blaming instead the actions of the crew. “Mistakes were made,” he said. 

Genco said one of his colleagues who arrived at the scene before him initially thought that only three people survived, but the coast guard reported there were other survivors and more emergency services were called in. 

When Genco arrived, he found scenes of panic and despair. 

“Unfortunately, we are used to such panic scenes because we are used to the shipwrecks that happen on Lampedusa ,” Genco said, referring to the island southwest of Sicily, where the wreckage of boats carrying migrants on the sea journey from North Africa to Italy are often found . 

Six of the passengers were declared missing Monday, and by Thursday, the bodies of five had been recovered from the wreck , some 160 feet underwater.

Among those who survived is Angela Bacares, wife of the British tech mogul Mike Lynch , whose body was recovered Thursday. 

Another survivor has been identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35. She told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled into safety.

Dr. Domenico Cipolla at the Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in Palermo is also part of a team of medical professionals treating the shipwreck survivors. He told the BBC on Wednesday that Emsley and her daughter, as well as the father of the child, who Cipolla said also survived, are continuing to receive psychological help. 

“Psychological support was constant and is constant even today, because basically it is the wounds of the soul that are the most in need of healing in these cases,” Cipolla said.

Genco also told NBC News that he was especially concerned about the child. “She did not understand anything. She was soaking wet and cold,” he said. 

Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, a yacht that was anchored near the Bayesian, said by phone Wednesday that he saw a thunderstorm come in at around 4 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) Monday, followed by what looked like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms over water. 

The International Centre for Waterspout Research noted on X that there was a “waterspout outbreak” off Italy on Monday, the day the Bayesian sank. 

“I turned on the engine and made maneuvers so that we wouldn’t collide with the Bayesian, which was anchored about 100 meters from us,” Borner said. “Then all of a sudden it disappeared. Then the wind calmed down, we looked around and saw a red flare.”

Borner said he got into his boat’s tender and saw a life raft with 15 people on it. Members of the crew were administering first aid. 

“I don’t know why it sank so quickly, but it may have something to do with the mast which was incredibly long,” he said. Questions have been raised about whether the mast was to blame for the accident as tall masts, even with the sails down, have more surface area exposed to the wind, which can contribute to tipping a vessel in a storm.

The CCTV footage that emerged Tuesday showed the yacht’s 250-foot mast, believed to be one of the tallest aluminum sailing masts in the world, lashed by the storm as it appears to tilt to one side before disappearing.

Claudia Rizzo is an Italy based journalist.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Specialist divers recover video surveillance from Mike Lynch yacht that may explain sinking

I talian special forces divers have recovered potentially crucial video equipment from the wreck of Mike Lynch’s superyacht that could explain how it sank.

The sinking of the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily last month resulted in seven deaths, including those of the British tech tycoon and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

The divers, from an Italian navy unit, recovered video surveillance systems, computers and hard drives that will be sent to specialised labs, a source close to the investigation told Reuters.

It is hoped that if they were recovered intact, the equipment may help investigators find out what happened on the night of the sinking.

It is believed the yacht was hit by a meteorological phenomenon known as a downburst, which can be as powerful as a mini tornado.

The six elite divers, deployed at the request of prosecutors who are investigating the sinking, are from a special forces unit called COMSUBIN.

They used a hyperbaric chamber that allowed them to make repeated dives lasting up to 40 minutes.

The other victims of the August 19 tragedy were the ship’s Antiguan-Canadian chef, Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, survived and were rescued by a nearby yacht.

The bodies of the seven victims have now been flown back to their home countries by private jet, according to Italian media reports.

Post-mortem examinations were conducted last week.

The jets took off from Palermo airport, to the west of where the yacht went down, according to Giornale di Sicilia newspaper.

James Cutfield (51), the New Zealand skipper of the Bayesian, is under investigation for multiple manslaughter and causing a deadly shipwreck, along with two British crew members: Tim Parker Eaton (56) and Matthew Griffiths (22).

Under the Italian legal system, being placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily mean that charges will be brought.

The Bayesian will be raised from the seabed and brought to shore as part of the investigation into how it sank within 16 minutes of being hit by the storm.

It is lying at a depth of 165ft, less than a kilometre off the fishing town of Porticello.

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Special forces divers and robots search British billionaire Mike Lynch's sunken Bayesian yacht for clues as to why it sank

• An elite Italian unit is sending divers down to investigate the Bayesian's wreck 
• The vessel sank on August 19, killing seven including owner Mike Lynch 
• The Comsubin unit will scour for electronic equipment including CCTV

By Perkin Amalaraj

Published: 10:11 EDT, 12 September 2024 | Updated: 10:38 EDT, 12 September 2024

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An elite Italian navy unit is sending divers and robots down to the wreck of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht to investigate the tragic sinking that killed seven people.

Lynch's yacht, the Bayesian, is currently lying more than 160ft below the waters surrounding Porticello, Sicily, after it sank in the early hours of the morning of August 19. 

Seven people, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah who was due to start at Oxford University later this month, died after a freak storm hit the Sicilian port town. 

Questions over how the £30 million vessel, which measured more than 180ft in length, sank so quickly that the seven of the 22 people onboard at the time died, have been raised by investigating authorities. 

In an attempt to answer these questions, the Italian navy is sending down six divers from its elite Comsubin unit, the equivalent of the British Special Boat Service, a source close to the investigation told the Times. 

The elite divers will be searching for electronic equipment, including CCTV and data storage, and looking to see if doors were left open at the time of the sinking.

An elite Italian navy unit is sending divers and robots down to the wreck of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht to investigate the tragic sinking (File image)

Lynch's yacht, the Bayesian, (pictured) is currently lying more than 160ft below the waters surrounding Porticello, Sicily

Seven people, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah (both pictured), died after a freak storm hit the Sicilian port town

This evidence will be used to 'check statements made by the crew of the yacht', the source told the newspaper. 

Mike Lynch's co-defendant in US fraud trial 'died from head injuries after being hit by car'

The vessel's captain, New Zealander Mr Cutfield, 51, is among three people who are being probed by judicial authorities following the tragedy last month.

Chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 56, and Matthew Griffiths, 22, are both British and, like the captain, also both being investigated for their alleged involvement in the deaths of the seven people onboard the Bayesian. 

Four of the victims are feared to have suffocated to death in air bubbles that filled with carbon dioxide, according to their autopsies. 

Autopsies carried out on victims at Palermo's Policlinico hospital so far revealed they had no water in their lungs, raising the frightening possibility that they may have been conscious as the yacht sank, according to Italian news outlet La Republica. 

An Italian news outlet has claimed the couple's lungs were 'not full of water and neither were their stomachs or trachea' 

The first autopsies were carried out on lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (both pictured) were also found to have no water in their lungs in post-mortems conducted

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person to be recovered after the yacht sunk 

The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht (pictured) was registered at an Isle of Man company called Revton

The £30 million vessel sank off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily at Porticello near Palermo on August 19

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, his wife Judy, as well as New York lawyer Chris Morvillo and his partner Neda had no signs of injuries, the Italian media suggests. 

Four superyacht tragedy victims had 'no water in lungs' and are feared to have suffocated

An autopsy carried out on Mike Lynch indicated that died of suffocation due to a lack of oxygen, while the autopsy carried out on his daughter Hanna was inconclusive.  

Initial examinations of the Canadian-Antiguan onboard chef Recaldo Thomas indicated he died by drowning.  

Although Cutfield, Eaton and Griffiths are all being being investigated by local prosecutor at Termini Imerese it does not mean charges will necessarily follow.

A magistrate will decide if they should face trial once the investigation has concluded and evidence presented to them.

For now, authorities said that efforts to raise the yacht from the bottom of  Porticello's waters will take at least two or three days. 

The work will be carried out by the vessel’s owner, UK company Revton, which is controlled by Mr Lynch’s widow Angela Bacares.

They have reportedly tasked Genoa-based diving company Drafinsub to use sonar and a submersible robot to examine the yacht to discover the best plan to raise it. 

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