Live to Sail Another Day

The last time Oracle Team USA made a notable capsize while training for the America’s Cup, it was October 16, 2012. A witness’s grainy video captured the pitchpole on San Francisco Bay, and local news helicopters stayed airborne to share the gradual destruction.

Watching their AC72 get carried beyond the Golden Gate Bridge on an outbound tide was must-see TV.

When Oracle Team USA capsized today (Mar 2) in Bermuda, it was a measure of how boat design, safety procedues, and sailor skill has progressed. “The crew is all safe, there is no damage to the wing and the only damage to the boat appears is likely to be the electronics that were in the leeward hull,” explained skipper Jimmy Spithill. “We were able to sail back to the dock.”

Certainly there is a big difference in size between the AC72 and the AC45 test boat, and of significance is the treacherous North California waters compared to the Great Sound of Bermuda. But any time you can live to sail another day is a win.

Here is video of the capsize and Jimmy and Tom Slingsby describing the incident.