‘Below Deck’ Captain Doesn’t Believe Conspiracies About How ‘Bayesian’ Sank, Offers His Insight into the Tragedy

Glenn Shephard acknowledged how dangerous heavy weather on the water can be in ‘Impact X Nightline’s Gone In 16 Minutes: Sinking of The Superyacht’

Below deck star Captain Glenn Shephard offers his insight into the sinking of Bayesianthe superyacht that The ship capsized off the coast of Italy in Augustwhich killed seven people.

Shephard has spent five seasons at the helm of Parsifal III on Below deck sailing yachtone of many spin-offs from the original Bravo reality series.

Parsifal III was made by the same yacht maker as the Bayesian — Perini Navi, which was purchased by The Italian Sea Group at the end of 2021. CEO Giovanni Costantino has suggested as much Bayesian is designed to be ‘unsinkable’.

But investigators have determined that a flash flood (not a tornado, as previously reported) struck the superyacht while it was moored off the coast of Sicily on the morning of August 19, according to Impact.

Related: Brother of Sicily sinking victim still thinks about the passengers’ last moments: ‘It’s terrifying’ (exclusive)

Appears on ImpactDisappeared in 16 minutes: the sinking of the superyachtShephard pushed back against the conspiracy theories that circulated in the months after the sinking.

“A downturn? I don’t think you can conspire to do that,” Shephard said in the episode, which premiered exclusively on Hulu on Thursday, November 14. “And for me, that’s what happened.”

Perini Navi yachts “have a very distinctive style,” says Shephard, who has been a sailing yacht captain for 20 years.

Most of these sailboats, he said, are so-called “ketches,” meaning they have two masts.

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“The main difference between Bayesian and the other Perini Navis (is) had only one mast,” Shephard explained.

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BayesianAccording to him, the company’s mast was also one of the tallest in the world at 70 meters Impact.

Downbursts are “strong localized downward air currents” that spread across the Earth’s surface as “straight winds,” according to the National Weather Service.

On ImpactElizabeth Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said these winds can be incredibly destructive and “can have high-impact phenomena when they are strong.”

Related: Creepy video shows divers searching a sunken Sicily yacht as investigation into what happened continues

Shephard recognized how dangerous heavy weather on the water can be, having sailed through storms in the Mediterranean himself.

“You can predict a thunderstorm, but you can’t predict what conditions you’re going to have,” he explained in the episode. “Sometimes there are hurricane winds and I have seen (wind) go from (no wind) to 65 knots at night. Sea of ​​Naples in 15 minutes.”

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An investigation into the sinking of Bayesian is ongoing.

Three crew members – the captain, the engineer and the sailor who were on watch the night of the incident – ​​remain under investigation for manslaughter and possible shipwreck. Impact.