Dean Barker’s detached tone offered little hint of what was to come.
“Oh I’ve lost the rudder here,” the preternaturally composed Kiwi helmsman was heard saying over the on-board comms as American Magic banked hard to the left after being hit by a rogue gust of wind during a precarious mark rounding.
And with that, the US boat became airborne, bucking wildly as it was launched skyward. The foiling 75-foot marine marvels were designed to fly, but not like this.
By the time it came to rest, heeled over on its port side, American Magic’s campaign was also on the brink.
On Friday, 12 days after the dramatic high speed crash and capsize that left a large hole in its hull, the US boat will fly once more.
A patched up Patriot is set to take to the racecourse in the Prada Cup semifinals against Italian challenger Luna Rossa – the team American Magic led around the final mark in last Sunday’s second round-robin match-up before disaster struck.
The comeback follows a feverish round-the-clock effort in the boatshed to repair its punctured hull, and strip out and replace the complex electronic systems that were fried in the hours the boat spent submerged underwater.
