Body of man recovered after Bayesian yacht sank believed to be chef who was working on board

The body of a man pulled from the sea after the Bayesian yacht sank in Palermo on Monday (August 20) is believed to be a chef who was working on board.

He has been named and pictured for the first time as Recaldo Thomas. He is thought to be the chef recovered from the water after the vessel was struck by a tornado and capsized in the early hours of Monday.

The Canadian-Antiguan had been working on the boat as a chef at the time, reports the Mirror.

READ MORE Horror CCTV footage shows Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm before capsizing

Tributes have been paid to Mr Thomas as the search continued on Tuesday for others who remained missing. Gareth Williams, a friend of Mr Thomas who he knew for 30 years, described him as a 'well-loved, kind human' with a 'calm spirit'.

He told the BBC: "He would come over to mine over the weekend and he would sing. He had the deepest, most sultry voice in the world, and a smile that lit up the room."

"He told me just the other day that he needed to work two more seasons to fix up his late parents' house. He loved yachting, but he was tired."

Another friend of Mr Thomas' from Antigua described him as 'always positive' and a 'sought after' chef by the super-rich who 'wanted to hang out with someone social' while yachting.

Eli Fuller said: "The kids would see all these white people working on yachts. For them to see an Antiguan man travelling all over the world - it was important for our community."

The search for the six missing passengers, who include British billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, were ongoing on Tuesday, but authorities said efforts were being hampered by the wreck's position 50m below the sea's surface.