Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

‘An Almighty Bang’ New Zealand’s Saint-Tropez Future Uncertain After Catastrophic Wing Incident

SAINT-TROPEZ, FRANCE 9 SEP CEST | The New Zealand SailGP Team’s Saint-Tropez’ hopes are hanging in the balance after a disastrous incident onboard the team’s F50 Amokura. Shortly after the end of racing, New Zealand’s 29-metre wing collapsed, breaking off into the water and instigating an immediate salvage operation to ensure all debris was removed from the water. No injuries were sustained onboard.

Speaking immediately following the incident, New Zealand driver Peter Burling said: “Thankfully everyone on board is safe - it could have so easily fallen at a different angle and we were all on the starboard side of the F50 just touching down - something we’ve done 30-40 times today. We just heard an almighty bang and watched it all unravel.”

The disastrous incident capped off an otherwise stunning day of racing on the French Riviera, in which the Kiwis found themselves tied for pole position with the Denmark SailGP Team (21 points each). New Zealand finished first, sixth and fifth in the first three fleet races of the weekend.

With Amoukura now back in the shed and a full assessment of the incident and damage underway, Burling said it was too early to comment on what caused the structural failure.

“The whole group has done an amazing job as a team getting the boat back here in the shape it’s in. I think we’re getting more and more angles and debriefing and I’ve honestly got no idea [why it failed]. On board, we weren’t doing anything different - just gently touching the boat in and coming up on course.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“We’re really happy to take the win in the first race - obviously in really tricky conditions. In the second race, we got a middle of the road start and didn’t get the best race put together, then in race three we had a pretty terrible start but did a really good race to get back to fifth. We’re top of the leaderboard with Denmark - something that we’re really proud of as a group but it’s all for nothing if we can’t sail tomorrow,” Burling said.

New Zealand wing trimmer Blair Tuke said: “Everyone’s pretty shaken after what was obviously a very scary incident. We’ve had the time to react, ascertain that we’re okay and now as the minutes and hours go on, I think we’re starting to realise both the extent of the damage and how lucky we were.”

“We’re also pretty gutted. It was a strong statement from the team to bounce back from Los Angeles and win race one, followed by two other really well-sailed races," Tuke said.

With personnel now working at pace to assess the extent of the damage and situation at hand, Burling said: “It’s all in the hands of the tech team now and the organisers to see what they can make happen tomorrow.”

SailGP returns tomorrow Saturday 9 September at 11.30pm NZST, with live racing only on ThreeNow. Fans will be able to catch all the action on-demand in the ThreeNow app, or watch full delayed coverage on Three (linear) beginning at 4.30pm on Sunday.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.