America’s Cup Investigation and Review

At a press conference today (May 14) that included Tom Ehman, Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and Race Director Iain Murray, the following information was made available…

Artemis Racing: An internal review is underway by the team to determine the cause of the May 9 accident. It is believed the team has video of the event which, along with onboard load sensors and crew observations, will provide the cause for the accident.

Race officials: A committee has been assembled to review the incident and make recommendations to insure the safety of the event (click here for full scope). The committee expects to begin their process on Thursday when all the members have arrived in San Francisco. None of the four teams have indicated they will not proceed, and there is no indication at this time the current schedule will be changed. Click here for committee members.

U.S. Coast Guard: The organization is relying on the race officials to review the incident and incorporate any lessons into the safety plan for the event. A Coast Guard event permit is required – but not yet provided – to conduct the racing. The race official review committee intends to work closely with the Coast Guard to demonstrate that any recommendations get implemented to insure the safety of the event and fulfill all permit requirements.

Police: This investigation, separate from the above, is seeking to determine the cause of death and if a crime has occurred.

From today’s press conference, it was clear that this accident was not in the best interest of the America’s Cup. However, what was not clear was if the cause of the accident was due to a failure of design, engineering, or construction, what could be done to prevent it from being allowed to happen again.

“It is the team’s responsibility to build a sound boat,” said Ehman. “There are no scantling guidelines, so it is up to Artemis Racing to study whether their accident was a result of a breakage.”

It was not known what information would be made public.