The 34th America's Cup will be held on San Francisco Bay in 2013. It will be a grand spectacle, and Team Oracle has been promoting the event out on the water -- in the heavy winds that have buffeted the Bay Area in recent days. But yesterday, their show-off cruise took a NASCAR turn:
A 45-foot catamaran owned by Oracle Racing capsized Monday afternoon during a practice race in San Francisco Bay, injuring a crew member.
The crew member, Shannon Falcone, fell through the boat’s sail. He did not appear to be seriously injured.
The accident happened during an event promoting the America's Cup Races, which are being held in San Francisco. The two boats on display today were running practice races at the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The vessels, both owned by Oracle Racing, will be used in the first two seasons of the America’s Cup World Series.
The boat tipped over before the practice race even began as the vessels jockeyed for position, sources said.
Accidents are not uncommon in boat racing. In March, Craig Thompson, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority, even boasted that the high-speed action would make for good TV.
“It’s dangerous, and television is going to love it,” Thompson said. “These guys are getting catapulted into the air, big time.”
Indeed! Here's the video:
Technically, that is a "pitch-Pole", easily worse than a capsize. Just saying
Posted by: Jonathan | 14 June 2011 at 05:04 PM