America’s Cup : Kiwi catamaran damaged and unfunctionnal for 3 days

The qualification phase of the 35th edition of the America’s Cup won’t launch before the 26th of May. At 8 days away from the beggining of the game, the Emirates Team New Zealand is facing serious setbacks as its 50 feet sport catamaran is currently under minimum 3 days reparation after the British Land Rover BAR ship crushed into its port hull.

The collision happened on the 16th of May during a training race. The starboard hull of the British Land Rover BAR ship, driven by Sur Ben Ainslie, hit the port hull of Australian Glenn Ashby’s  New Zealand catamaran.

Luckily, no one was hurt. Still, the material damage, extended on a 2 meter area, incurred by the Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC 50 sport catamaran is massive.

Nevertheless, the team plans on spreading their catamaran sails on Saturday, according to Kevin Shoebridge, the team chief operating officer. The technicians are doing their best to put the ship back on track and allow the sailors to get back to their training.

These kind of accidents can happen at any moment of the competition, given the high speeds of the sport catamarans (reaching 80km/h) and the proximity of the engines.