Video captures spectacular capsizing of 50-foot racing catamaran in San Francisco Bay
Video captured the capsizing of the U.S. SailGP 50-foot catamaran Monday just off Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay — six days before the crew will race for a $1 million prize.
There were no injuries. The video shows the boat flying at high speeds across the bay and later capsizing.
Helmsman Jimmy Spithill’s team is competing this weekend in a winner-take-all, season-finale championship. There will be three fleet races Saturday in the Mubadala United States Grand Prix and two more Sunday before the big-money race.
Big wave surfing pro Kai Lenny was onboard with surfing champion Jamie O’Brien. Lenny told The Associated Pres that he was standing behind Spithill when the boat rolled over.
“It was insane, we went so fast,” Lenny said in a video shot by the sponsor Red Bull. “I don’t know if anyone really realizes watching from land, just how intense it is on those boats. There is so much going on, you’re pulling three Gs of force from side to side. The boat is a living breathing creature, and you can feel the vibration of it as you go through the wave chop and the gusts of wind.”
The cause of the capsize was determined to be a systems issue on the F50 that caused the wing sail to not invert properly when Spithill initiated a maneuver, causing the cutting-edge racing boat to heel over and capsize, according to race representatives.
The team is expected to resume training on Tuesday.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 10:03 AM.
