A video clip for a Monday. During a practice match against British challenger INEOS Team UK, Peter Burling, Team New Zealand skipper, lost control of the AC75 Te Rehutai during a gybe. While sailing at about 35 knots, the boat took a nose-dive and rolled on its beam ends. Remarkably, there were no reported injuries or significant damage to the boat.
Stuff reports that it was the third time Team New Zealand have been on their side after two capsizes in their first boat Te Aihe.
They quote Peter Burling saying, “It’s a pretty big load case on the bow when the boat hits, so we just wanted to do some checks but everything functionally on the boat was working pretty well, so we just towed on the foil on the way in.
“Chatting with the guys on the way in and that same kind of manoeuvre on the cat in Bermuda and you’d be in hundreds of pieces.
“Full credit to the design of these boats that they are still in one piece.”
35 knots! I’m tickled pink when I reach 6.5 knots.