At about 6 PM on Sunday, the American Magic yacht Patriot was rounding the final mark in Race 3 of Round Robin 2, of the Prada Cup in Aukland, NZ, when disaster struck. The wind increased from 12 knots to 23 knots in just 40 seconds. The boat accelerated to 47 knots, was briefly airborne, and then crashed and capsized, doing serious damage to the hull, and coming close to sinking. Fortunately, none of the crew was injured.
With the concerted efforts of boats from the local harbor patrol, Coast Guard, and each of the three other race competitors, the flooding was brought under control. At one point there were said to be sixteen pumps in use to bring the water level under control. The flooding was from a hole caused by a section of the carbon fiber hull shearing on impact in the sudden crash stop from almost 50 knots. Patriot was towed back to the dock at 10:45 PM NZDT.
Now a race has begun to repair and rebuilt the Patriot in time to compete in the next round of races. The American Magic team only has 11 days. In a news conference this morning, Terry Hutchinson, the team Skipper & Executive Director, estimated that repairs will take between 8 – 10 days, leaving very little margin for preparations for the next races.
In addition to structural repairs, the entire electronics and automation system for the boat will have to be replaced. Fortunately, the team has a full backup of components. Nevertheless, Hutchinson suggested that he was most worried about electronics and software issues.
American Magic AC75 Capsize! Full story+aftermath of Prada Cup Day 3. America’s Cup.
Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.
Strange how the impact caused the hole to carbon fibre.
Had a wing been torn off during the episode that would have been more understandable.
Lets get back to real yachts in the spirit of the original races otherwise we will end up with R.C. electronic drones.
According to the description by Terry Hutchinson, the failed panel was between transverse and longitudinal girders and failed due to the shear load created when the panel hit the water at 47 knots.
Great sportsmanship shown by all teams. Typical Kiwi assistance. Good luck to the American team. You can be proud of how you have handled this challenge.