America's Cup- Oracle Team USA AC72's MOB incident no drill - Video
by Richard Gladwell on 5 Jun 2013
Expanded image - Jimmy Spithill being retrieved from San Francisco Bay Oracle Team USA
http://www.oracleteamusa.com
The incident in which America's Cup skipper, Jimmy Spithill, fell off Oracle Team USA's AC72 was not a safety drill.
Video now released by the team shows Spithill returning to take the helm of the AC72 during a gybe, catching hold of the wheel, but missing his footing and falling over the side.
Spithill broke the steering wheel in the incident.
Earlier Sail-World ran images of the incident, from Spithill's Facebook page, but was unable to get comment from the team on the circumstances.
Reports at the time had it that tactician John Kostecki had also gone overboard, but there is no reference to this in the video released by the team today.
Wind conditions appear to to be quite light, and the incident involving Spithill appears to be minor, with his dampened pride being the major casualty. The team was using their Code Zero gennaker at the time.
Spithill was able to swim to the chase boat without extraction divers being deployed.
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