America’s Cup 2021: Beyond the Cup – Kiwi sailing star Phil Robertson reveals what it’s like to capsize

World champion sailor Phil Robertson has offered a rare glimpse into the intense measures taken to prepare for a potential capsize like the one American Magic suffered on Sunday.

Heading for their first Prada Cup victory on Sunday, the American Magic Patriot rounded the penultimate gate before flying, crashing and capsizing. The boat took in water and risked sinking before being saved and slowly towed back to base.

American Magic captain Terry Hutchinson called the experience “baffling” and said, “He was trying to get me kicked out of my place and we ended up with no knives, cutting ourselves off and making sure the first priority was getting the crew out.”

Speaking on NZME’s Beyond the Cup America’s Cup video show, Robertson, who is the helmsman of Spain’s SailGP team and a two-time World Match Race Championship winner, said that he has been involved in several rollovers during his career and revealed how sailors prepare for such an event.

“I’ve definitely done some and I guess that’s the nature of the sport now. It’s getting faster, it’s getting less stable. We’ve gotten rid of the fins so the boats will tip over and they will do it at high speed too.

“One thing that is very real now is the safety factor. Everyone is wearing impact vests now. [because] it’s a high speed sport … we all carry knives. With SailGP Racing we carry two knives and oxygen that lasts between one minute and three minutes, depending on how calm you can get if you’re trapped underwater. “

Robertson also described the training involved to prepare sailors for what could be a life-threatening situation.

“One training exercise we go through is getting your heart rate really high: doing burpees on the dock on some shuttle races and [more] burpees, and at any moment one of the divers will just push you in and another will hold you underwater while they pull on your harness and try to stitch you up a bit.

“You have to be able to cope with your sky-high heart rate and the lack of oxygen in your body and make sure that you can get the oxygen out of you, put it in your mouth, blow out all the water and go to your knife too and drop it. and free yourself. “

Watch the full interview on the NZME Beyond the Cup America’s Cup video show above.

Are you going to compete in the Cup?

• Give yourself enough time and consider taking a ferry, train or bus to see the Cup.

• Make sure your AT HOP card is in your pocket. It is the best way to ride.

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• For more ways to enjoy race day, visit at.govt.nz/americascup.