British catamaran capsizes spectacularly as world’s fastest sailing boats battle it out in New York race
- Great Britain’s SailGP team capsized 30 minutes before a high profile race taking place on the Hudson River
- The catamaran was blown over by a gust of wind and suffered damage to its sail forcing it to retire
- Luckily, none of the crew on board the high-tech 50-knot catamaran were injured by the unexpected dip
- Engineers will work through the night to ensure that the catamaran is ready to race in tomorrow’s events
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A British catamaran capsized on the Hudson River earlier today ahead a dramatic race in front of thousands of fans at the New York SailGP.
A strong gust of wind saw the Great Britain SailGP team capsize some 30 minutes before the race started.
Nobody was injured during their unexpected dip in the River Hudson, although the the catamaran’s wingsail was damaged preventing the vessel from competing in today’s races.
This is the dramatic moment the Great Britain SailGP team were about to capsize on the River Hudson ahead of this afternoon’s race as part of the SailGP series
None of the sailors were injured after their vessel was pushed over by a strong gust of wind ahead of today’s race
Great Britain SailGP Team helmsman Dylan Fletcher said his vessel did a ‘porpoise jump’ before tipping over
Each race takes place in an iconic inshore harbour area allowing thousands of fans to watch the action from the shoreline
Teams from across the globe take part in the races, which are guaranteed to be close-run as each vessel is identical
However, a team of engineers are working overnight to repair the boat for tomorrow’s competition.
It is the first time a boat has capsized in SailGP history.
Great Britain SailGP Team helmsman Dylan Fletcher said: ‘All was going to plan with pre-start preparations, then we got hit by a massive gust of wind, the boat did a porpoise jump, and we were over.
‘It was devastating watching the other guys race around in the sun with that backdrop; we had been looking to show some of our performance and hopefully sneak a race win.’
The SailGP series involves cutting edge boats racing in identical supercharged F50 catamarans which are capable of 50 knots – almost 60mph.
The racing takes place in ‘iconic harbours around the globe’, with the highlight – a $1m winner-takes-all match race.
Following the incident, the catamaran’s sail was damaged and the team were unable to participate in today’s races
Engineers will repair the catamaran’s sail, pictured, overnight to ensure the vessel is ready for tomorrow’s races
The dramatic races see the catamarans race in tight formation at speeds of up to 50 knots in various iconic harbours
The inshore races allow thousands of spectators to watch the vessels as they race at high speed around the bay
Engineers on the Sail GP Team GB are working overnight to ensure that the vessel is ready to take part in tomorrow’s races
The high-tech catamaran suffered some damage forcing it to retire from today’s races
The British team are optimistic that they will be ready to take to the water again tomorrow for the next series of races
None of the crew members were injured despite their unexpected dip into the River Hudson