Check out this incredible broach! Last Saturday, Team Spindrift of the MOD 70 racing fleet take a pretty bad spill near the start line, off of the coast of Dublin – Dùn Laoghaire. Only one crew member was hurt, suffering a pelvis fracture. He was the one being immediately air lifted. Nice work by the Irish Coast Guard.
The winds where recorded at only 20-25 knots steady, but the gusts where quite large. Seems the crew where caught off guard by one of those large gusts while sailing in the disturbed wind of the other boats to weather. These boats are almost as wide as they are long, so an approximate 60′ drop from one hull to the other. Yikes! Not to mention that water must be cold – brrrrr.