After racing into a squall, crashing, capsizing, incurring significant damage and coming close to sinking, American Magic's AC75 racing yacht, PATRIOT, made it back to shore at 10:45 PM NZDT after a herculean effort to save the boat.
The arrival of the American AC75 back to the team base in Wynyard Quarter was due not only to the perseverance of the team, which never gave up the fight over many hours, but that of the greater Auckland and America's Cup communities. The three other Cup teams, the AC36 event management team and multiple branches of Auckland's rescue services came to the aid of American Magic in a moment of urgent need.
Hutchinson said that this type of incident would certainly be a major challenge to overcome, especially with only 12 days remaining until the Prada Cup semifinals. He also said that the resilience of his team is never in doubt.
Statement from Commodore Christopher J. Culver Regarding American Magic:
Like New York Yacht Club American Magic fans around the world, I watched yesterday’s Prada Cup race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli eager to see PATRIOT show her speed in her favorite conditions. To see our team go from almost certain victory to almost losing the boat in a few short moments was heartbreaking. I am extremely grateful that no one was seriously injured.
On behalf of the Flag Officers and members of the New York Yacht Club, I want to express our most sincere thanks to the other three America’s Cup teams—Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Team UK—along with the America’s Cup Event staff, local fire and rescue personnel and Coastguard New Zealand for their immediate and unwavering support yesterday. Without it, I don’t think we would’ve been able to keep PATRIOT afloat.
The road ahead will be challenging. But after interacting with the American Magic team over the past three years, I know there is no finer crew of sailors, builders, designers, engineers and support personnel on the planet. We will get PATRIOT back on the water.
It’s not easy to create an America’s Cup syndicate from scratch and be competitive. But as the first five legs of yesterday’s race proved, American Magic did just that, building a boat and crew fast enough to take on the world. We are tremendously proud of this team. I look forward to cheering on PATRIOT in the near future.
Go American Magic. Go PATRIOT.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Culver, Commodore
New York Yacht Club
