Oracle catamaran capsizes

Oracle’s preparations for defending the America’s Cup suffered a setback yesterday when their AC72 class catamaran capsized on San Francisco Bay and incurred substantial damage.

It was only the eighth time Oracle had taken the massive catamaran – the class of yacht to be used for the Louis Vuitton challengers regatta and America’s Cup – on to water for training since it was launched in August.

None of the crew were hurt in the capsize, but the team were having trouble getting the catamaran back to base, reports said.

Tactician Tom Slingsby said the boat had been preparing to bear away (turn away from the wind) when it capsized stern over bow (pitchpoled).

“We didn’t know what was going to happen with the new boat,” Slingsby said.

“When the nose went down, the wing hit and a few guys went in the water. We were unsure if the wing would snap, so we all climbed off the boat.”

The wing of the AC72 catamaran is about 40 metres tall and helps generate tremendous speed.