America's Cup: Russell Coutts on AC45 Oracle capsizes spectacularly in San Francisco

Oracle Racing accidentally capsized one of their racing boats in San Francisco. Russell Coutts was helming the boat, an CA 45 . He was training for the next America's Cup with the Oracle Sailing Team. For the America's Cup, the boats will be AC 72, similar to the AC 45, but bigger

[@braker41zulu]

@ride24hrs No, no design error. The skipper Russell Coutts admitted that he turned the cat leewards but should have turned it into the wind to reduce speed. Ship happens :-)

[@ULiqMiDiq]

The sequence of events is a successful gybe, then a turn downwind which caused a pitchpole, not a capsize. A pitchpole is when a bow, or in this case both bows, go under water and cause the boat to suddenly stop, and the stop is what raised the sterns. After the pitchpole the boat capsized, which is to turn on its side.
There error is with the skipper, not the boat.

[@MarketScoop]

No prob putting a jibe in but can be tricky getting into the downwind safe zone in high winds (you need speed and weight right back.. I mean way back (crew behind helm). Jumping on the end of windward hull works ;o)
Re backstay, best to have minimal sail area showing once downwind (so B-2-B), the mainsail 'flip' in high winds can be equally interesting as the momentum swing can round you up into wind - not ideal as boat speed will not be fast enough and your weight not where needed to compensate

[@MegaCatalano]

fancy racing machines indeed! capsizing happened - as it usually does with small catamarans - because you can't jibe with a two-hulled sailing boat by making a small diameter round: then one of the hulls inevitably 'pierces' into water and its hydrodynamic resistance grows enormously in a particle of a second which causes loss of balance and stability... as Suki says, it's almost like hitting (into) something: dense medium, water, instead of air...

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

As a massive F1 fan I must agree. The TV rights in the states and the fact the owners aren't skippers any more makes it too commercial.
We should be quiet though - Bernie Ecclestone might jump onto this....

[@rtbreeder]

"Oracle Racing accidentally capsized one of their racing boats in San Francisco. Russell Coutts was helming the boat, an CA 45" It's an AC 45 catamaran, designed by Oracle. They're the traing boats for next seasons AC (not 'CA') 72's.

[@speedboat1741]

If I recall correctly, the "America" sailed with an American captain in the 1850s but a professional Swedish crew. She crossed the Atlantic on her own bottom to defeat lesser designs. Today's extreme technology has produced fast but unwholesome trends throughout racing, so that even round-the-world single handed monohulls are not self righting. Much like Formula 1 auto racing, development becomes relevant to entertainment value but not to practical application.

[@ride24hrs]

was it design error? they running at 25 knots? then full stop in 3 seconds.

[@MarketScoop]

Looks like the skip thought about coming up into wind but there was a rib slap bang in the way. Interesting thing is he was going downwind in the run up to the prang. Why not bear away on the gust into the safe zone. Heading up into wind from going downwind - fine, but that main was fully powered up for an upwind leg. i.e. the traveller should have been let out as they were rounding up. If that's what they'd planned...also too slow dumping the gib.
High winds+downwind+choppy H20 = pitch-pole

[@captnrickfromcabo]

I'm sorry if my question sounds weird because I'm not a pro racer, but....is it right try make a jibe on any cat in the world at 25 knots of wind ? I mean I learned to sail on cats and then on monohulls, and one of the things I knew is that cats don't have backstay and because of that is not very safe to jibe in strong winds, am I wrong ?

[@rtjtjcdihgysupdrzvorief]

could the shape of the fuselage be part of the problem?

[@crawfordviolin]

does anything break when that happens?

[@pavlic007croatia]

does anyone know the size of the main sail (in square metres)?

[@speedboat1741]

Crash helmet sailing. Today's sporting businesses pretty much have to be designed for video, but I am sorry to see the America's Cup come to this. It makes it a young athletes' competition, in which technology plays an ever greater role. Gone are the days of mature experienced skippers and tacticians.

[@quarterinch7830]

They did not learn their lesson. They do it again with AC72

[@ride24hrs]

@braker41zulu copy, got it. thanks! beautiful cat! nice lines!

[@snowballthegreycat]

no thats called a pitch pole not a capsize

[@camllamas2]

if your gybing and not racing or not experience pull the main sail in before you gybe

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

Agree, the mono hulls have gone and now the yanks rely on European built cats with foreign skippers.
As an Aussie it'd be disgusting if that was our contender let alone the NYYC relying on that.

[@thirty2wins]

I am no pro either but I ran A classes....If the sea is flat...gybe ho!! Rough you better know your stuff....real easy to bury even a light A

[@daman7129]

I might be your average humble hobie and Nacra sailor but he wasn't steering properly when he pitchpoled. It can be avoided but you must almost have a sixth sense with your boat to avoid this problem...

[@crawfordviolin]

oh. I guess the wing from his head

[@steveeb]

Who'd a thought sailing would require helmets?

[@zippythefly]

faster!!!! faster your fools!!!

[@clavapa1_old]

AHAHAHAHA take this!

[@ticler]

420 BLAZE IT!

[@rbelatamas]

Huuuu