SailGP has expressed plans to require the competing fleet to have air bags and Kevlar safety straps to prevent major injuries from taking place in the ultra-fast catamaran series.
The initiative came to fruition after two boats crashed in a race at Auckland, New Zealand, causing New Zealander Louis Sinclair and Frenchman Manon Audinet to suffer major injuries.
SailGP chief says crash remains under investigation
In a statement, SailGP chief executive Russell Coutts said that the series officials are still reviewing the incident, which is the most serious since the event began in 2019.
Coutts added that the organisation is pleased with the immediate emergency response but it is analysing whether better safety equipment should be used to avoid similar incidents.
“There are a whole host of ideas,” said Coutts, an Olympic gold medalist and a three-time America’s Cup winner.
“Could you have air bags on the inside of the cockpit? A Kevlar strap [could] be on the outside of the cockpit, for example, stopping a penetration [by another boat].”
Accidents are expected to happen when 13 identical 50-foot foiling catamarans jostle for space on a tight course at speeds above 100 kilometres an hour (60 mph).
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Hope for a safer race
SailGP’s next event is on the Sydney harbour this weekend and Auckland leg winner Tom Slingsby is hoping for an accident-free race, as calmer winds are forecast, although the easterly breeze will still make for challenging sailing.
Slingsby described the rainy easterlies as uncommon during this season but he is expecting catamarans to brace for light to moderate breezes.
Twilight racing – the seventh time SailGP has been raced on Sydney harbor – is scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.
The Australian sailor, who competes for the team co-owned by actors Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, described the Auckland race as tough and he understands that injuries are common in this extreme sport.
“There’s no way of putting on an exciting show without a level of risk,” Slingsby said, adding that they were trained to manage these situations and are used to pushing their skills to the limit.
Both French and New Zealand boats will be absent for the Sydney event. But SailGP organisers are hopeful the damage to the French boat will be repaired in time for Quentin Delapierre’s team to line up in the next regatta off Rio de Janeiro in April.
However, New Zealand’s chances of reaching this season’s USD2-million event final are in question as the crew expects to miss Sydney, Rio and possibly the two events to follow.
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