HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — The wingsail of a foiling F50 catamaran, being steered by Brazil’s Martine Grael, unexpectedly crumpled and fell onto the deck during a SailGP preseason training camp on Monday. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
The boat was foiling at approximately 70 kph (43 mph) when the 24-meter (79-foot) wing failed. Video from the vessel appears to show the crew initiating a maneuver. As one crew member rushed to handle the jib, which began to flap, another crew member hurried to the base of the wing and then back to the starboard cockpit, narrowly missing the descending debris. A loud popping noise was audible.
Grael, a double Olympic gold medalist, was announced last week as the first woman to captain a boat in this global league, co-founded by tech billionaire Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts, a five-time America’s Cup champion from New Zealand. Monday’s six-person crew comprised both new Brazilian team members and seasoned SailGP competitors.
This substantial damage will impact the remainder of the training camp as there is only one boat in Bermuda. The next training camp is scheduled to occur before the first regatta of Season 5 in Dubai on Nov. 23-24.
Precisely one year earlier, Team New Zealand’s 29-meter (95-foot) wingsail unexpectedly shattered and plunged into the Mediterranean in a dramatic moment, just moments after the Kiwis completed racing on the first day of the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez. The crew escaped without injuries, but the damage kept the boat out of the following regatta.
The intricately designed wingsails resemble and function like airplane wings, generating the power necessary for the 50-foot catamarans to foil above the waves at near highway speeds. They can be adjusted for varying wind strengths and weigh between 400 and 500 kilograms (around 900 to 1,100 pounds).
SailGP features the world’s top sailors, many of whom have achieved Olympic medals and America’s Cup victories. The season championship race, with a $2 million prize for the winner, is the largest cash award in sailing.