Incredible footage of racing yacht capsizing off Dublin
Racing sailors from around the world converged on Dun Laoghaire over the weekend for the first leg of the Route des Princes inshore yacht race.
Amid high winds, both spectators and competitors got more than they bargained on Saturday for as the , a 70-foot trimaran, went out of control in severe, 25-knot gusts and capsized in the waters of Dublin Bay.
"We had 22 to 24 knots of wind on the start line with gusts of up to 30 knots at the lower end of the course," explained Yann Guichard, skipper of the French-registered racing yacht.
"We were at the limit of weather conditions for our boats and it was not great for racing.
"We started a bit below and behind the fleet and found ourselves slightly in a wind shadow. When our rivals had moved away we had a sudden gust literally flattened us."
The boat was "turned over in a single blow", the captain added, saying that it all happened "in a split second".
All crew were accounted for, but Jacques Guichard, brother to Yann, suffered a fractured pelvis and was airlifted to hospital.
The boat has since been recovered and remains in Dublin.
