SailGP: Australians drop wingsail in final seconds of race 7 pre-start
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 23 Mar 16:58 PDT
Australia drop their wingsail - pre-start - Race 7 - Race Day 2- Oracle San Francisco SailGP - March 23, 2025 - San Francisco © Felix Diemer/SailGP
The Flying Roos (AUS) broke their wingsail in the final seconds leading up to the start of Race 7 of the Oracle SailGP Regatta in San Francisco.
Conditions at the time were a rising breeze of 10-15kts - well within the capability of the 24metre tall rig.
Skipper Tom Slingsby confirmed immediately after the incident that no-one was injured. However in a reprise of the initial dismasting, involving two section of the 24metre wingsail, Slingsby himself came close to being hit, as the bottom section of the mast dropped very close to a support boat on which he was being interviewed. He saw the mast falling out of the corner of his eye and moved clear - visibly startled.
"When something like that happens, all you think about is everyone going to get through this, and fortunately, we're all safe, and that's the first priority, and now we just got to try to save the boat as best we can," Slingsby said to SailGP's Lisa Darmanin, as the remains of the wingsail topled behind him.
"It's heartbreaking. obviously," Slingsby the results and the points, what they are. We're not even concerned about that, it's just saving the boat, doing the best we can, everyone's safe, and, yeah, look, we've got a lot of work to do."
The cause of the incident is not clear. The mast collapsed just above the lower section in a similar incident to that which hit the Black Foils (NZL) in St Tropez in Season 4, causing them to be scored mid-fleet points for two events.
A frame by frame review of the video shows the after join of the bottom element of the 24metre wingsail opening slightly, immediately followed by the leading edge beginning to collapse in a very similar looking failure to what which occurred to the Black Foils' 32metre wingsail in St Tropez. There after there is a catastrophic failure as the top two elements of the wing sail topple aft and over the windward quarter, leaving the bottom section remaining upright - just.
The top two section were intact as the flew through the air but appeared to break up on impact. The wingsail would appear to be a write off.
At the time of the incident Australia was coming in from astern and to leeward of the Italian team at the top end of the starting box. The strategist for the Italians has the Australians under obervation and obviously makes a call to helmsman Ruggero Tita - who takes early avoiding action and shoots clear of the top of the start box - and is well behind the rest of the now nine boat fleet.
From ahead there appears to have been no contact between the Italian and Australians - however that would only be confirmed by an inspection of the Australian bow and the Italian's rudder. Italy continued with the race indicating there was no damage.
The incident occurred on San Francisco Bay close to where Oracle Racing nosedived their first AC72 in October 2012, causing serious damage to the platform and destroying a wingsail. Then the US team were caught in a 33kt gust trying to sail downwind. Today's condition were a lot milder, with crews able to control the foiling 50ft wingsailed catamarans. However the tide was ebbing and starting to run against an increasing westerly breeze that was building, with an advancing fogline - typical of San Francisco.
The incident cost the Flying Roos any chance of racing in the Event Final - where they looked to be on track to at least make the final cut.
Spain SailGP, skippered by Diego Botin went on to win the three boat Final, a nice reprise of their win in the 2024 Grand Final at the same venue.