Americas Cup Boat Dismasted
BMW Oracle America’s Cup Boat DAMAGED
The huge 200 foot mast on BMW Oracle’s America’s Cup trimaran BOR broke dramatically during a test sail on the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, snapping the mast in two as it hit the boat’s rear beam. None of the sailing crew were injured in the accident, which happened about 30 miles off Point Loma near San Diego, California.
“We’re obviously pretty fortunate,” BMW Oracle Racing helmsman Jimmy Spithill said after the 90 foot America’s Cup sailboat was towed back to its berth at dusk. “The boat itself, the actual platform, is in relatively good shape. The most important thing is getting back on shore with all the guys, and the crew safe.”
Spithill said he wasn’t sure when the America’s Cup boat will be back in the water. He said the syndicate will look at on-board video and load data to figure out why the mast came down. Spithill doesn’t think it will be more than a temporary setback. The shore crew began working on the boat as soon as it was back in its berth.
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Filed under: America's Cup, boat, boats, sailboat, sailboat race, sailboats, sailing, yacht, yacht race | Tagged: America's Cup, BMW, BMW Oracle, boat, boats, Oracle, sailing, sailing news
[...] SAILING THE WORLD November 6th, 2009 | Tags: Accident, Racing, Sailing | Category: Remarkable Vessels, Safety and Seamanship, Sailing | Leave a comment | [...]