Hull hole in US yacht
American Magic syndicate scrambling to stay afloat in America’s Cup after spectacular racing incident
United States challenger American Magic is assessing the extent of damage to its race yacht Patriot, which capsized and came close to sinking during racing on Sunday in the America’s Cup challengers’ series.
Skipper Terry Hutchinson said American Magic is confident of making repairs and being able to continue in the Prada Cup series, which resumes on Friday.
Patriot, which lost its first three races in the challengers’ series, was leading Italian challenger Luna Rossa when it capsized rounding the final mark. The US team attempted a complicated manoeuvre at high speed but was caught by a sudden blast of wind and soared out of the water before tipping the boat over on its port side.
All 11 crew were quickly accounted for and none was injured. There were fears Patriot, which was damaged below the waterline, would sink and a buoy was fixed to the top of the mast to mark its position in case it went down.
Rival teams raced to the assistance of the American team, along with police and fire officers. The boat eventually was hoisted upright and pumped out and, after several hours, was towed back to its base in downtown Auckland, where it arrived around midnight.
Hutchinson said “there was definitely a lot of concern” that Patriot would not be saved.
“When you start attaching things to the top of the mast, you know that’s not a good situation,” he told reporters. “But we’ll assess the situation. Obviously the boats are highly complicated on the inside. We’ll have a good look at her and figure out where we go
“We obviously sustained some damage to the bow of the boat,” he continued. “It’s too early to really comment on how long it takes or the extent of it.
“We’ll get a better look at it when we get Patriot in the shed and from there we’re going to keep our sights set on the semifinal, get our feet back on the ground.”
While racing doesn’t resume until Friday, competing boats are expected to be available to be measured in their race set-up by tomorrow afternoon. Hutchinson said he is confident American Magic will be able to continue in the regatta.
“Things that don’t kill you are only going to make you stronger and I’m exceptionally confident in the team,” he said. “Until you’re dead, you’re not.
“I’ve always been confident in Patriot and the performances she’s shown and I think we’ll have to keep it in perspective: we’re here, no one was hurt which is a major bonus and we go forward from there. It’s the America’s Cup; we have to be prepared to fight for it and we will.”
Hutchinson thanked those who raced to Patriot’s assistance, including America’s Cup defenders Team New Zealand who helped save Patriot and tow it back to base, providing pizza for the tired and hungry crew.
“I do need to make sure I say thank you to the local authorities — the fire department and the police — and particularly to Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa and Team Ineos for the support they gave us on the water,” he said.
“Team New Zealand in particular helped tow us back to the dock for three-and-a-half hours.
“In these moments, you get the true sense of what competitors can do for you and how we should all treat each other. They showed a great display of sportsmanship.” —AP