Costly capsize caused by crew error

A crew member pushing the wrong button on his control panel caused the United States SailGP team to capsize in Bermuda.

The American crew had a scary moment on Saturday when their boat went up on its side, causing five of the six athletes on board to fall from their cockpit on to the wingsail.

No one was significantly injured but the wing was damaged and the vessel could not be repaired in time to get the team back on the start line for the weekend’s event.

After reviewing the data, SailGP found the wing inverted, or bent the wrong way, just before the vessel flipped.

Data from the US F50 foiling catamaran confirmed how it happened, with wing trimmer Victor Diaz de Leon pressing the wrong button as he intended to flatten the wing, not invert it, while operating on the starboard (right) side of the boat.

SailGP said the button was used seven times before the capsize, so ruled out a technological fault as a potential cause.

Diaz de Leon said he was disappointed to make the error, while team chief executive Mike Buckley, who also sails as a strategist, said they knew immediately what had happened to cause the capsize.

“We compete as a team and whatever the outcome — whether it’s what we want — we win and lose as a team and learn from it,” Buckley said.

Being ruled out of the event was a huge setback for the Americans, who went into Bermuda as a midtable team, seven points outside of the top three.

With only four events, including Bermuda, to go before the grand final shootout in San Francisco — which replaces that regatta’s podium race — they will lose ground on Spain, Denmark and France.

And Canada were poised to take advantage by leapfrogging the US team on the table after a strong start to racing yesterday.

The Canadians, helmed by Kiwi Phil Robertson, claimed two seconds and a sixth through the first three fleet races, which left them second on the event ladder at the end of the day.