10 May 2013

More fears for safety after big cat capsize

5:07 pm on 10 May 2013

There are renewed concerns about the safety of the multi-hulled America's Cup yachts following the death of British double Olympic gold medallist Andrew Simpson in a training accident.

Simpson was trapped under Sweden's Artemis Racing catamaran as it capsized during training on San Francisco Bay, and Craig Monk, one of up to seven New Zealand sailors on board Artemis, was injured.

This year's America's Cup is being raced in giant AC72 catamarans which reach speeds of more than 70 kilometres an hour, but can capsize spectacularly.

The Cup holders Oracle suffered a setback to their campaign in October when their first cat tipped over, throwing most of the Oracle sailors into the water and virtually destroying their almost 10 million dollar boat.