Bora Gulari injured in training accident prior to Nacra 17 Worlds

by Sail-World and US Sailing on 31 Aug 2017 US Sailing Team Nacra 17 athlete and Rio 2016 U.S. Olympian Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) suffered an injury during a training incident on Wednesday, as he and teammate Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.) were preparing for the upcoming Nacra 17 World Championship (September 5-10, 2017) in La Grande Motte, France. Gulari lost part of three fingers on his right hand after he came in contact with the boat’s rigging during a capsize in strong wind conditions. Gulari is currently recovering at a local hospital following surgery, and is expected to return to sailing in approximately four weeks.

“This is an unfortunate setback, but Helena and I will bounce back from this and continue our campaign for Tokyo 2020,” said Gulari, a two-time Moth World Champion and the 2009 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the year. “I’ll definitely be back on the water as soon as I’m able, which should be in about a month.”

Italian Sailing Team coach Gabriele Bruni provided help to Gulari and Scutt immediately after the accident, with US Sailing Team coach David Howlett, who was assisting with running practice races, arriving a few minutes later. Scutt, who is also a U.S. Olympian, was uninjured in the incident. Scutt sailed the boat back to shore with help from Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Santiago Lange of Argentina, who came out to the scene from onshore to assist.

“We are grateful for all the help and support we received today from the Olympic sailing community, and especially from our competitors and coaches who helped us on the water and after we got back to shore,” said Scutt.

Gulari and Scutt will retire from the 2017 Nacra 17 Worlds, and focus on Gulari’s recovery in the coming weeks.

Sail-World.com/NZ: Other reports appearing in Italian and US media have it that Gulari's injury came after his fingers were cut after they came into contact with the sharp edge of the Nacra 17 foil.

The report published in Farevela.net (using a Google translator from Italian to English):

A serious accident at Bora Gulari today in La Grande Motte, where the Nacra 17 foiling training is taking place in view of the upcoming World Cup. According to early news, the American helmsman would have kicked a boom with 18 knots of wind during a training he was supporting with his proud Helena Scutt, remaining unconscious after the impact with the concrete risk of drowning. Gulari was invested by the foil of his Nacra 17, who cut him four straight fingers of his right hand.

Gulari was rescued by Gabriele Bruni, the coach of the Italian team present at the time of the accident, who pulled him out of the water as his hand lost much blood.

Gulari, 42 years old in Detroit, already Olympic in the Nacra 17 at Rio 2016 and former world champion Moth and Melges 24, is now hospitalized. Fingers recessed at the height of the first metacarpal.

Gabriele Bruni , contacted us, told us that 'Gulari has torn off during a training regatta, he has done a nose diving as often happens. His hand ended on the starboard foil exit edge. I pulled him out of the water because I noticed he was half faint, as soon as I pulled it out I saw that he had a hand full of blood and I saw that his fingers were missing.

I took him quickly to the ground by calling the chief of staff on the radio asking for urgent intervention of a car, while waiting in the dock I took the first aid kit of the inflatable and put an antiseptic as he screamed from the pain. The ugly scene was when she asked me to cut off the glove that wounded him on the wounds. Now he's in the hospital with his coach, and when I left him was not good. '

For the rest of the report click here