SailGP drama triggers shock move for Australian crew

It was the bang – and crash – which saw the Australian crew star on highlight reels worldwide and has now stopped the SailGP series in its tracks to ensure the safety of sailors.

It was the bang – and crash – which saw the Australian crew star on highlight reels worldwide and has now stopped the SailGP series in its tracks to ensure the safety of sailors.

When skipper Tom Slingsby heard a loud bang on his SailGP foiling F50 catamaran and started “counting heads” to ensure his team were safe when the giant wind sail collapsed within centimetre of crew, he feared he had smashed into his American rivals at their home event in San Francisco.

Having now viewed the footage of the disaster from every angle, Slingsby said he and his Flying Roo crew were lucky to have escaped the dramatic and highly expensive incident during the US regatta without injury – or worse.

“It was a big bang. As it happened I heard the bang and though we must have hit the US boat and couldn't figure out how.

Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby are attended to by their support boat and safety teams. Photo: Simon Bruty for SailGP

“It was only when we saw the footage we realised that the wing let go.’’

Now, with the safety of sailors in mind and after intensive investigation and extensive testing of wing sails in the fleet, officials have taken the unprecedented action of cancelling the next SailGP regatta in Rio.

Testing in the wake of the dramatic failure on the Australian cat skippered by Slingsby identified a defect in select wing sails across the F50 fleet.

Repairs are now being affected so the professional sailing series can resume in New York from June 7-8.

SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said the costly decision was “a necessary action to take.” after an issue with the bonding of the core material in the shear web of some of the wing sails – which could potentially compromise the structural integrity of them – was identified.

Repairs to the Australia SailGP Team boat are now underway so the series can resume. Picture: AP

“As such, we’ve made the prudent choice to suspend next month’s event, giving us sufficient time to complete repairs and conduct any further investigations,” Coutts said.

Slingsby, who with Tash Bryant was nearest underneath the crashing wing sail, said the call was the right one.

“For sure we were lucky no one was injured and in an incident like that it’s obviously a dangerous situation,’’ he said.

“They have now done a thorough check and seem to have found there is an issue potentially. “It only happened a couple of times all the years these wings have been operating but they were trying to figure out what it was.

“Now they have taken it very seriously and now they have seen the issues they have said they have to cancel Rio to make sure no one hits the water with this problem.’’

Slingsby, an America’s Cup and Olympic champion, said a MDT machine, which is similar to an X-Ray or MRI, was used on the carbon to see if there are any cracks internally.

“I’ve got full confidence the league will get the repairs sorted in time so we can have our Aussie comeback in New York,” said Slingsby who will be sporting a new wing sail in the New York event.

“Athlete safety has to come first.’’

The Australians had qualified for the three-boat final in San Francisco when disaster struck on the approach to the start line in race seven.

The damage meant they were unable to contest the final, which was won by Spain from Canada and France.

Originally published as SailGP drama triggers shock move for Australian crew