Challenging day on the water for Alinghi Red Bull Racing
by Alinghi Red Bull Racing 1 Oct 2024 02:47 AEST
30 September 2024
Alinghi Red Bull Racing's AC75 returns to base in Barcelona - September 30, 2024 © Alex Carabi / Alinghi Red Bull Racing
Despite out of the running for the 37th America's Cup, Alinghi Red Bull Racing decided to keep on training for a few weeks with the aim of extracting the full potential from their AC75.
Taking advantage of their facilities in Barcelona, the Team had a planned training session on Sunday.
The Swiss team was out on the water for an hour when the boat capsized. Silvio Arrivabene, Co-General Manager, described the events: "The incident happened as the boat was sailing downwind in fresh breeze and suddenly the foil let go resulting in an abrupt deceleration and consequent capsize.
"As the boat was hauled out of the water back at the base, it became apparent, and the data confirmed it, that the incident was linked to a failure in the starboard foil that could only have resulted from external factors, like a collision with a submerged object or material failure."
Fortunately, no crew members onboard were harmed, and everyone in the team acted swiftly and professionally to secure the boat. After the recovery process, BoatOne was towed back to the team base and retrieved in the shed.
A thorough investigation is under way to further characterise the incident ahead of starting the repair process.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing would like to take the opportunity to thank Emirates Team New Zealand for their crucial support on the water, along with all others involved.