Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team Land Rover BAR capsized with his test catamaran T2 during training off the Isle of Wight. However, the boat was quickly righted. The crew of six and a guest on board were uninjured. However, a section of the wing sail was damaged and will be examined by the technical team this weekend. Following the incident, the Brits will not be able to resume training with the catamaran until the new year.
The regular crew and an observer were on board during the capsize. Skipper Sir Ben Ainslie was joined by Paul Campbell James, Bleddyn Mon, David Carr, Nick Hutton, Andy McLean and guest Benjamin Muyl. The test catamaran was launched for the first time three months ago on 5 October. There were 15 to 19 knots of wind at the time of the capsize. The boat was sailing at a moderate speed when a problem with the wing sail caused the capsize to windward. No other boats were involved. In a press release, the crew described the mishap as a "tough day at the office".
Team Land Rover BAR was presented to the public for the first time a year and a half ago in the presence of the Duchess of Cambridge. Founder and team boss Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor in sporting history with four gold medals, wants to lead the racing team to the first British victory in Cup history since 1851 in 2017. The team's headquarters are based in Portsmouth. Like all five other Cup teams, the Brits have another base camp in Bermuda, where the 35th duel for the most important trophy in international sailing will take place in 2017.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
