Defending champion Team New Zealand will return to America’s Cup competition on Saturday after being grounded on Friday due to damage to the hull of its AC75 on Thursday when it fell from the crane that was pulling it out of the water. Initial analyses on Thursday night detected damage to the stern. [la parte trasera] The boat and the team announced that they would be out of competition for at least two days, but this Friday they confirmed that they will be back in the water on Saturday, 24 hours after staying on land for the entire second day of the Round Robin (the qualifying phase in which the New Zealanders compete without scoring points because they are directly classified for the final as champions of the last edition).
The ship accidentally fell on Thursday from the crane that was lifting it out of the water to place it in the wheeled mould that transports it to its hangar every day. This is a procedure that is carried out daily every time the AC75 returns to base. The process is complex due to the balance of the transfer, which requires a team of operators and a large crane capable of lifting the 6.2 tonnes that this type of ship weighs.
However, for reasons still being investigated, the crane cable unexpectedly came loose and the AC75 fell onto the structure that holds it on land. This has the same shape as the boat. If the sailboat had not been aligned with its structural mould, the damage would have been much greater due to the fragility of the frame, built with carbon fibre. “We can’t say we were lucky because it was a bad afternoon, but compared to what could have happened, we have to be grateful, without a doubt,” says one of the engineers, Dave Olsen, in a statement shared by the team.
The engineers and designers of the assembly cut away part of the hull and replaced it, in a process that took almost 24 hours. “There is some structural damage to the stern of the ship, but the main structure was not damaged in the front of the ship. [la proa]”, the team said initially.
Although the team did not initially specify the timeframe for its return, Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton already sent a reassuring message to the New Zealand media on Friday morning. Staff: “Maybe we can get back in the water tomorrow afternoon, but it’s a bit difficult to say because we may encounter problems in other areas,” he said. Shortly after, Team New Zealand confirmed the forecasts after assuring that the AC75’s electronic systems are not damaged, nor are the foilsthe fins of the boat that facilitate flight while underway.
The room for manoeuvre, in any case, was wide. Although Team New Zealand is participating without scoring in the current Round Robins (in order to gain experience and train competition manoeuvres), its presence will not be significant until the Match end, from 12 October, where he has a guaranteed place. His rival will be the champion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the competition currently being held in the sea off Barcelona with the Round Robin, the first phase; a semi-final and the final.
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