The cost of capsizing
American Magic explained how an unexpected gust of wind saw Dean Barker lose control of their AC75 and capsize at 83kmh.
The team, backed by the powerful New York Yacht Club, suffered no injuries to their 11-man crew but Patriot has a major hole in the left of its bow, after the dramatic crash turned into a five-hour salvage operation off Auckland’s North Shore on Sunday night.
The accident came in their race against Luna Rossa in the Prada Cup round-robin racing. Barker had Patriot leading into the top mark for the final time and on course for their first victory before disaster struck as he turned down wind.
The bear away is one of the trickiest moves in these highpowered foiling monohulls – effectively a double move of a tack followed by a gybe – and the slingshot effect produces an instant lift in speed.
The unexpected gust of wind added to that, loading up the power on the boat and complicating handling as Patriot reared out of control.
Patriot’s speedometer showed the boat going around the mark at 34 knots (63kmh) and then getting instantly boosted to 45 knots (83kmh).
The boat’s rudder – its steering device – lost traction as Patriot’s nose lifted and the AC75 came completely out of the water before crashing down and rolling on to its left side with the crew on that side scrambling to get clear from under the giant wing sail.
On-board communication systems suggested some doubts about the tactics employed and there appeared to be a problem in not easing the leeward backstay through the bear away.
But skipper Terry Hutchinson backed the move made by Barker as American Magic tried to solidify the healthy lead against the hardcharging Italians in a race where winds were approaching the upper limit set at 21 knots.
‘‘Dean made the correct decision to tack around the left gate, keep us in the pressure and just try to deliver us down to the finish,’’ Hutchinson said.
‘‘We got hit by a reasonably big gust. When you’re racing the boat, you’re racing the boat.
‘‘Obviously it’s not exactly the day that we wanted. We had a good race going and the boat was going really well.’’
American Magic have prided themselves on their heavy-weather sailing, a facet they have developed during their time in Auckland, spurred on by Team New Zealand’s consistent presence in training in high winds on the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf.
American Magic had one training capsize in their first generation AC75 Defiant but recovered instantly to right the boat and resume sailing.
They had a dramatic near-miss in their first training session on Patriot in mid-October.
They boldly took the boat out just hours after it was launched and christened and nearly came unstuck in similar circumstances, but Barker managed to regain control.
Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand have had three capsizes – two in their old boat Te Aihe and one in their new boat Te Rehutai.
They suffered no damage in the first though Te Aihe had a steering issue after the second.
Te Rehutai was towed back to
base as a precaution after last week’s high speed crash in practice racing but resumed sailing the next day.
The biggest plus out of all the crashes is how no sailor has been injured, considering how fast the boats are travelling before coming to an instant stop.
How Patriot suffered a massive hole in its hull will be central to American Magic’s crash investigation as they look to make urgent repairs to get the boat back racing.
The affected area of the boat is one of most important structural zones and will require major surgery.
The highly sophisticated electronic systems housed in the hull will likely be badly damaged with the boat fully submerged for almost an hour before buoyancy aids managed to get it lifted though an agonisingly slow reverse tow to the base won’t have helped.
American Magic appeared to have a genuine speed advantage against the Italians on Sunday and getting that performance back will be crucial to their chances of winning the Prada Cup and earning the right to take on Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup match in March.
Friday sees the second half of the round-robin action resume but that may be too soon for Patriot to be involved.
With no wins from their first four races, they might be better to target the semifinal repechage the following Friday, giving them 12 days to get things sorted out.
INEOS Team UK lead the Prada Cup points table with four wins and Luna Rossa have two.
The top team from the roundrobins goes straight into the Prada Cup final while teams two and three contest the semifinal repechage.