(Reuters) – American Magic’s hopes of challenging New Zealand’s team for the American Cup were dashed when their yacht “Patriot” sank on Sunday but the US team say they are confident of getting back on track. rain for the semi-finals later a month.
American Magic denied their first points of the Challenger Series when their ship went on air and hit the water before it crashed on its side after being hit by a strong gust of wind while they were directed by Luna Rossa.
Skipper Terry Hutchinson said on Monday that the crew would use parts from their “Defiant” rear boat, with the main challenge being to repair the electrical system as the irrigation pipe did not cause too much damage.
“We will live fighting another day,” Hutchinson told reporters. “It simply came to our notice then.
“The beauty of our team is that there is a high level of resolution, I think we will see over the next eight to 10 days that the boat has been rebuilt.
“She may not come out of the shed so beautifully but we’re going to come back to racing. The team is enthusiastic about it. ”
With the semi-finals starting January 29, American Magic doesn’t have much time to repair the damage to their ship, but, thankfully, the team escaped with just bumps and brushes.
“We’re all good, just a little brush,” Hutchinson said. “Although the boat did some damage to her, the crew is safe. That’s all you can ask for. “
INEOS Team UK leads the series stand with four wins from multiple starts. The top team will advance to the Challenger Series final while the second and third place teams will compete in the semifinals.
The winner of the series will take on the TNZ defenders from March 6 for the American Cup.
Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Edited by Peter Rutherford