Work starts to get boat back racing

YACHTING

WHEN American Magic spectacularly capsized the AC75 Patriot during the Prada Cup on Sunday, the severity of the incident took a moment to sink in.

After all, it was not the first time the team had tipped over in its America’s Cup preparations.

So it was not until skipper Terry Hutchinson noticed just how much water the boat was taking on where he was positioned that he realised that the vessel might have sustained considerable damage.

Soon after, the team’s chase boat pulled a piece of carbon from the sea, and relayed to a member of the crew that the boat might have a hole in it.

‘‘That raised everybody’s eyebrows very quickly,’’ Hutchinson said yesterday.

‘‘It was pretty hairball.

‘‘I was trying to eject out of my spot and we ended up with knives out, cutting ourselves out and making sure the first priority was getting the crew out.

‘‘Fortunately, we’re all out probably within a minute and under the mainsail; it’s unnerving to say the least.’’

Sure enough, the vessel had been punctured as it rounded the markers to begin the final leg against Luna Rossa.

As it rounded the gate at high speed it was hit by a strong puff of wind which lifted it skywards before slamming it back down.

Although the shell of the boat was damaged, the team was able to get out several key pieces of hardware.

‘‘We were fortunate we got both batteries out of the boat; we were fortunate that all the hydraulic fluid inside the yacht stayed inside the yacht — it’s a closed system. So there’s things that will make getting back on to [the] race course easier for us to deal with and we’re thankful that none of that stuff ended up in the gulf.’’

However, with the AC75s being heavily reliant on technology, much of which is inside the hull, the team will have to replace a lot of it, including the system which controls the foil arms.

Hutchinson said all other challengers had opened their doors to American Magic in terms of helping to ensure it remained in the competition, as had the Auckland maritime community.

There were a lot of hours of work ahead for his team but he was confident the American challenger would be back on the water in time for the semifinals on January 2931. — The New Zealand Herald

❛ We were fortunate we got both batteries out of the boat; we were fortunate that all the hydraulic fluid inside

the yacht stayed inside the yacht

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Not all lost . . . Skipper Terry Hutchinson speaks to the media in Auckland yesterday about challenger American Magic’s boat Patriot which capsized during racing on Sunday.