Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

America's Cup- Emirates Team NZ to be back on the water tomorrow

by Warren Douglas on 29 Jun 2012
a655A9637sm - AC World Series Newport RI Stephen Fasano

Emirates Team New Zealand plans to be back on the water tomorrow after a capsize in the first race of the quarter-final at Newport today.

Three elements of the wing were extensively damaged in the capsize. One will be repaired overnight, one has been bought from the event and one will be cannibalised from the Youth America’s Cup AC45.

Skipper Dean Barker vowed the team would be back on the water for the second day of the America’s Cup World Series final regatta for the 2011-12 season.

He said the wing extension – fitted to the top of the rig for better light-air performance – filled with water making it difficult to get the boat back upright.

'We were on our side for an hour. That’s when the damage was done.

'When we capsized in Auckland soon after we got the boat, we were upright in three to four minutes and damage was slight.

'As we went over I expected to be upright in a few minutes and ready to race for the second match that afternoon.'

The capsize occurred at the top mark during the first quarter-final race against Luna Rossa Piranha. Emirates Team New Zealand was comfortably ahead.

A problem with the leeward runner meant they could not ease the wing sheet as they rounded the mark. Able to go either up or down, the capsize was inevitable.

Today’s incident was the latest in a series since the team arrived at Newport.

Two AC45 crewmen have been sidelined by injury. Bowman Winston Macfarlane has - returned to Auckland after injuring a shoulder in practice and trimmer James Dagg’s head collided with tactician Ray Davie’s elbow. As a precaution, he’s being rested for a couple of days.

Sailing crew members Derek Saward and Jeremy Lomas, both heavily involved in past months with the AC72 build programme, were called in at short notice to fill in. Saward arrived at Newport on Sunday and Lomas only yesterday.

Coach Rod Davis, in a chase boat alongside the yacht, blogs his take on the incident.

The reason for the capsize was a problem with the leeward runner as we rounded the top mark. That meant that wing couldn't go out far enough and in any kind of a puff, the boat would roll over.

We had all kinds of trouble righting the boat because the wing extension filled with water, a problem no one has come across as we were the first to capsize with it on.

Rescue operations were going pretty much to plan, until we started breaking righting ropes. Then, when we got the boat up the first time, water/weight in the top of the wing made the boat roll back and sit with the bows pointing to the sky

So we had to re-capsize and start all over again. Three snapped tow lines and a pad eye later (the back of the chase boat looks like someone has beaten it with a chain) we had her back on her paws. And the boys sailed it home.

So what happens now? There are three flaps on the back of the wing. One is can be fixed overnight, one can be fixed but is not over night. And the last is totally destroyed.

The wing might look a little funny in the branding but we will be back on the water tomorrow.



Armstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMC-Tech 2020 Tubes 728x90 BOTTOMHyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Related Articles

The latest in fleet monitoring and tracking
Join us on October 22nd for an in-depth exploration of the latest in tracking technology Fleet monitoring and tracking are essential for efficiency, safety, and compliance with real-time visibility into fleet movements critical.
Posted today at 9:30 am
2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 2
Eau Vive and Jill claim first victories in Oyster Bay After the disappointment of a wind and raceless day one, the 2025 International Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club finally got under way in warm sunshine and a south-westerly of around 6-8 knots.
Posted today at 3:23 am
46th Cannes Royal Regatta day 2
A dream day! If we had to give a score for the entry of the "classic " and 5.5 m on Tuesday 23 September, we would hesitate between an 18 and 19/20... knowing that you never put a 20/20!
Posted on 23 Sep
Middle Sea Race set to attract exceptional fleet
Royal Malta YC has 118 entries already At midnight on Friday, 19 September the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race had amassed a fleet of 118 yachts. The entrants represent 30 countries and territories: from Australia and New Zealand to Finland and Norway, and from the United States to Romania.
Posted on 23 Sep
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 1
Solid Sled earn early lead in Sardinia Takashi Okura's Sled lead the 52 SUPER SERIES - Porto Cervo - Range Rover regatta after the first two windward leeward races.
Posted on 23 Sep
Melges 24 Worlds 2025 at Trieste, Italy Day 1
No racing possible on the first day Good things are worth waiting for, and that was the adage at the opening day of the Melges 24 Worlds, which ended without any races in the scoreline. The weather in Trieste proved too unstable, with storms in the morning followed by a lack of wind.
Posted on 23 Sep
Formula Kite Worlds Quartu Sant'Elena preview
9th Sardinia Grand Slam is the first major step towards Los Angeles 2028 Next September 28th to October 5th, the Poetto beach will host the event that crowns the new World Champions. Among the top contenders: Maeder, Vodišek, and Pianosi in the men's fleet; Nolot, Aldridge, and Kampman among women
Posted on 23 Sep
SailGP, TOR Europe, Women's Match Racing Worlds
Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity. Such was the case for the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank squad when they notched their first-ever SailGP event win at last weekend's Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix.
Posted on 23 Sep
A Q&A about the 2025 Hobie 16 North Americans
Tom Pace, Hal Smith, and Michael McNeir discuss the 2025 Hobie 16 North American Championship Spoiler alert: The Hobie 16 is far from a new design. But that doesn't matter: When Hobie Alter's first 16-foot fiberglass catamaran hit the Southern California beach scene in 1970, the sailing world was forever changed
Posted on 23 Sep
The Philadelphia Cup Regatta preview
There's still time to register Sail on or spectate along the Delaware River this Saturday, at The Philadelphia Cup Regatta presented by Sea Philly and the Independence Seaport Museum.
Posted on 23 Sep