SailGP technical review of New Zealand and France F50 crash rules out technical malfunction
A review by SailGP into the high speed crash between the New Zealand and French F50 catamarans at the last event in Auckland recently has ruled out any system failures aboard the NZL boat.
The crash took place 15 seconds after the start of the third race of the day when the New Zealand crew appeared to lose control while reaching at high speed towards the first turning mark.
Video footage showed the boat appeared to skid sideways after the leeward (port) foil wing broke the surface of the water. This brought the boat into the path of the French team sailing close behind, and when the New Zealand boat dipped its windward bow in the water and instantly rounded up, it was too late for the French crew to take avoiding action.
New Zealand grinder Louis Sinclair and French strategist Manon Audinet were both hospitalised after the incident, with Sinclair suffering two broken legs and Audinet being assessed for internal injuries after being thrown into the port steering column. Both have now been discharged from hospital.
SailGP says its engineering teams have conducted a detailed review using high-rate performance data, onboard telemetry, simulator recreations and video analysis to try to understand precisely what occurred in the build up to the crash.