Two SailGP boats collided at high speed on the Waitemāta Harbour in Auckland on Saturday, forcing racing to stop for the rest of the day. The crash happened during the third race when New Zealand’s Black Foils and the France boat hit each other on the course.
Crew members were quickly helped off the F50 catamarans and taken to hospital. Black Foils grinder Louis Sinclair was injured in the collision and later had surgery on his right leg, which the team said went well. France team strategist Manon Audinet was also hurt after being thrown forward during the impact, and her team said she was checked for abdominal injuries.
SailGP said a full review would be carried out to understand how the collision happened. Racing on Sunday is still planned, but SailGP will use a split-fleet format because stronger winds are forecast and the course is tight and close to shore.