PHOTOS: America's Cup boats blown over

Disaster in Marseilles gale-force gust

Following the passage of a violent storm and associated high winds through Saturday night (11th September), the racing boats of BMW Oracle Racing, Team Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand were blown off their cradles and are lying on their sides on the J-4 pier. The incident took place at 02:40, early on Sunday morning. There were no injuries, only the boats have been damaged.

Gusts of over 65 knots of wind were measured at the time of the incident. Material damage in other parts of Marseille is also significant.

The three damaged boats were the most exposed to the prevailing wind direction. The three others, K-Challenge, Le Defi, Team Shosholoza, suffered no apparent damage.

Technical teams are currently evaluating the damage and assessing the situation.

Alinghi was blown out of its cradle and crashed onto a container. Grant Simmer, co-Director General of Alinghi, said: "Our shore team is working hard to assess the extent of the damage, but we will make every endeavor to be on the starting line of the Act 2 in Valencia."

BMW Oracle Racing CEO Chris Dickson after assessing the damage gave his interpretation: "While unfortunate, this doesn't change the fact that Marseille Louis Vuitton Act 1 was a tremendous success, with some of the most competitive and interesting AC racing ever. The teams, ACM and the City of Marseille are working together to minimize the impact, and to find the best way forward."

"We don't know the full extent of the damage to our boat, and won't until our boat building and design teams have complete access to the internal structures. This assessment alone will take several days," Dickson continued.

Following the gust the yacht was blown out of its cradle and was lying on its side, crushing the team's temporary office. The impact of the keel on the boatyard pavement left a large hole in the ground.

"While we are still assessing the damage, it is apparent that our yacht has sustained significant damage, and likely will not be repairable in time for Act 2 in Valencia which starts on 5 October," Dickson said. "Our other 2003-generation yacht, USA 71, is in Valencia and can be ready in time. We have two weeks of work to make 71 race-ready, but we will be on the starting line on h Oct. We've come to Europe to go racing. Marseille Louis Vuitton Act 1 was a fantastic regatta, and we are determined to move forward and to be as competitive as possible in Acts 2 and 3 in Valencia."

The worst affected however was Emirates Team New Zealand who fell over onto a container, the corner of which demolished the hull at the structurally complex area around the port chainplate. It is likely that the team will be shipping the boat back to New Zealand to effect repairs and unless they can fly their other boat to Europe, it is unlikely they will be sailing Valencia. The incident is ironic as Emirates Team New Zealand leader Grant Dalton was expounding on TV last night about how their boat was slow downwind and the only way to fix it was with a chainsaw.

Without Emirates Team New Zealand, seven teams are still expected to compete in Valencia for Acts two and three of the 32nd America's Cup with the additions of Italian teams Luna Rossa and +39, bringing the total to seven.

More photos on the follow pages.