America's Cup - Emirates Team New Zealand's crew jumps ship

by Sail-World.com/nz on 14 May 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand lost a man overboard while training on the Great Sound on Saturday.

Conditions were relatively light 5kts peaking to maybe 10kts.

The incident occurred as the crew began to set up for a manoeuvre, and the crewman began moving across the boat. From the video it is not possible to positively identify the crew member, but it is likely to have been wingsail trimmer, a spot normally occupied by skipper Glenn Ashby.

Crew going overboard from the AC50's has been relatively commonplace and to date no-one has been injured.

The crew member appeared to be moving quickly across the boat, got the choreography wrong, realised he had mistimed his final few steps and elected to take a spectacular leap to ensure he cleared the starboard rudder foil.

He was picked up by a chase boat.



The New Zealand team were sailing without a jib at the time, the first time this has been seen on the Great Sound.

Despite the light conditions Emirates Team New Zealand appeared to be foiling easily. They appeared to be sailing to windward, rather than just reaching across the Sound. Others looked to be struggling to get foiling in the conditions.

A point of interest will be if the team attempt to sail in the jib-less mode in the Practice Racing which gets underway on Monday.

Some of the other teams looked a little sticky in the light airs. Emirates Team NZ's boat is believed to be at the lighter end of the weight limit, which would assist foiling in light conditions.

The last time an America's Cup was sailed with a wingsailed boat only was in the 2010 America's Cup when Oracle Racing rolled her headsail on the first leg of the first race, when chasing Alinghi, and sailed noticeably faster with the wingsail operating in air undisturbed by the jib.

Clause 6.1 of the America's Cup Class rule says the yacht shall have 'no more than one jib' - meaning that sailing with no jib at all is permitted.