Sir Ben Ainslie describes moment Emirates Team New Zealand capsized on the Hauraki Gulf
INEOS TEAM UK's skipper and his team were sailing alongside Emirates Team New Zealand when the defender capsized at around 40mph; the PRADA Challenger Selection Series featuring the British team starts on Friday, live on Sky Sports Mix at 2am
Friday 22 January 2021 07:32, UK
Emirates Team New Zealand suffered a hairy moment during a practice race out on the Hauraki Gulf earlier this week when they capsized at around 40mph. As they raced alongside them, INEOS TEAM UK and Sir Ben Ainslie had a front-row seat to the dramatic moments.
The two teams were taking part in a practice race ahead of INEOS TEAM UK and the other America's Cup challengers - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team and New York Yacht Club American Magic - competing in the PRADA Challenger Selection Series.
The forthcoming series, which starts on Friday live on Sky Sports, will ultimately determine which challenger takes on Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America's Cup match in March.
The PRADA Challenger Selection Series starts with round-robin races and from those, one team will progress straight into the final. The other two will then meet in a semi-final before the final takes place and one challenger is left standing.
With just a short time to go before the PRADA Challenger Selection Series, Ainslie had made a decision about INEOS TEAM UK's focus during the practice race against Emirates Team New Zealand.
"We went out and I thought to myself that although we're up against the Kiwis, we should go easy on the starts and just get a read of the performance in a straight line," he told Sky Sports News' Richard Graves.
"Then, when we went into the starts, competitive instinct got the better of me! I think Pete Burling on the other boat was really pushing it as well, so we had some pretty intense full-on pre-starts, which was good fun actually.
"Then, we got off around the course and on the downwind leg they had a bit of a wobble on the jibe...
In these boats, if you really want to get the performance [out of them] you're sailing on a knife-edge. If you get it slightly wrong, it can hit you hard.
"Their rudder came out of the water and that rudder is what's giving stability to the boat, so suddenly you have nothing supporting the boat. It did an 'endo' and it was full-on.
"Thankfully no one was hurt, that's the key thing and their boat stood up remarkably well considering what they put it through."
With Emirates Team New Zealand's race boat, Te Rehutai, weighing around seven tonnes and ripping through the water at speeds faster than many powerboats, it's no wonder that the capsize sparked concern.
"They did a good job," Ainslie said. "I mean they've had quite a few capsizes… they push hard the Kiwis, I have to give them credit. They do joke about having had a bit of practice capsizing!
"They were up again within about five minutes of the capsize. I think they suffered a little bit of damage, so at this stage in the game, it was the right thing for them to take the boat back to the dock and check it out.
"If that had been a race day, they probably would have been able to get back up and running for the second race, which is impressive."
Watch every moment of the America's Cup challenge, live on Sky Sports. Coverage continues with the PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series on Friday, live on Sky Sports Mix at 2am. The action will be repeated at 9am.
