‘Holy s***’: Aussie sailor’s close call after nearly ‘catastrophic’ lightning strike

Aussie sailor Jimmy Spithill was caught up in a terrifying lightning episode that struck in the middle of a competition.

It was a very close call.

Australian Jimmy Spithill was caught up in a terrifying lightning strike that halted action during Race 17 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robin in Barcelona.

Spithill was one of the co-helms aboard Italy’s Luna Rossa, who made a strong start to take a 400m lead over Emirates Team New Zealand and looked to be in a comfortable position entering the final leg — until lightning dramatically changed that equation.

Racing was abandoned for the day after the strike, which took place around 200m in front of the Italians, with the New Zealand crew watching on in shock from behind.

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It was a very close call.

Vision captured sailors on the New Zealand boat reacting to the strike in real time, with expletives aplenty as one was heard exclaiming “holy s***”. “F*** me,” said another.

The lighting strike sent the New Zealand team for cover off the course, with the Race Committee later awarding the race win to Luna Rossa and disqualifying the Kiwis for going outside the boundary.

It turns out Spithill wasn’t too concerned though, with the Australian later revealing that he has already had a few run-ins with mother nature in the past.

“I actually felt OK because I’ve been struck by lightning twice before,” he told The Telegraph UK.

“They say when you’ve been hit before your odds of getting hit again are way smaller. So I reckon we were the safest boat in the fleet.

“It would have been catastrophic for the boat, though, no question. Both times I’ve been hit it destroyed the boat. The first time the boat actually caught fire because it was wooden and it hit the rig.

“I felt the lightning through my body. You get a shock but it’s like your eardrums get blown up.”

The Louis Vuitton Cup determines the challenger to face New Zealand in the America’s Cup proper in October, starting with two rounds of matches before a semi-final and final.

New Zealand will be involved in the group stage of racing but not the knock-out rounds and this is their final chance to finesse their approach.

Originally published as ‘Holy s***’: Aussie sailor’s close call after nearly ‘catastrophic’ lightning strike