Sequence

NBC bay area video

Oracle Team Website

oh dear lord. Everyone OK?

apparently all ok

wing and platform

not so good

more and more both are looking unrepairable

2nd boat can't be launched until feb2013

looks like they shouldn't have dumped the original requirement for a big and small wing

Wanna bet there'll be a Hobie Bob on the top of the next wing.

I understand the wing being beyond repair, but the platform too?

At least this newscaster has the presence to call it a "pitchpole"
NBC Bay Area

An hour of sad helicopter video footage.

I have not seen how the righted it, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's how te platform got damaged badly. They also said it was badly damamged from foiling.

It made it back to the dock turtled,never was righted, so it's a safe bet the wing is a complete loss. I was at least hoping they could save the spar.
All of you have to know it was inevitable. You can't push the development edge that hard without some consequences.

wonder if larger T-foils on the rudders would have helped.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/47411_439284166108635_1264142852_n.jpg

I can't imagine what it feels like to go from sitting on the aft part of the boat then rise to 40-50'(est) while the transoms are lifting in the air ...

A lot of gory detail, as far as wing breakage in this one.

Total shame but not really unexpected. Great thing no one was seriously injured. Think I might get some helmets for those 20kt+ days on the F18/N20.

I'm surprised a little more wasn't done to slow the drift and prevent more damage to the platform? Oracle are the experts for sure and hindsight is 20/20 but maybe ditching the wing and at least righting the platform would have been a good way to get back on the water faster? Sounds like v2 is already in build so maybe not?

Once you ditch the wing you're not righting that platform without a bigass crane. The wing filling with water was what most likely kept them from righting in the first place. There were not many ways to do it different and accomplish anything. Faster righting before the wing filled is about it, and the current seemed to prevent that.

No drift Sam. There's a HUGE tide current there.

Thanks for the clarification guys. Lee I'm aware of the tidal based current flows in San Fran, just surprised they didn't motor against it but given the problems Cat_Fever outlined that wouldn't have worked.

What are the bets on seeing this thing fly again?

Don't forget that the outgoing "tide" carrries the entire contents of the Sacramento River as well.

Once outside the Bridge you face the wrath of the entire north Pacific. The north shoal of the outer mouth of the GG is called the Potato Patch. Relativly shallow water, only 25-35 feet deep, makes a tough place to turtle a 131' mast. Huge swells can pump up waves in the 30 foot range but are themselves torn to shreds by the huge current.

Notice the condition of the AC72 right after the flip (pretty clean), then again after and hour of being pounded. I'm surprised there's anything left. Typical day in SF...7 knots westbound outgoing current, 30+ knots of wind coming in from the west, all funneled through the narrow GG. Nice place to turn downwind on a 72 foot cat. Like Butch Cassidy said, "Who are those guys?"

I thought they were supposed to learn not to do that, when they were flipping the 45's!

Did they think the much taller mast would be less prone to burry the bows and pitch-pole?

I'm thinking they need more volume in the bows unless they are going to limit the upper wind strength for racing.