Emirates Team NZ have had to carry out emergency repairs to their AC75 yacht Te Rehutai, after helmsman Peter Burling put a dent in the deck during America's Cup racing on Wednesday.
The mishap occurred during race two, as Burling raced across the deck to take his position on the other side of the foiling monohull.
"When Pete fell over, we made light of it at the time," flight controller Blair Tuke tells Newshub. "It happened just out the corner of my eye, because I had just jumped in my seat, and I heard him fall and heard him say 'I'm sweet'.
"The three of us that change sides try to do it as quickly as possible and didn't quite get it right that time. He's all good, but the boat took a ding... it's repaired and ready to roll.
"The boat's obviously incredibly light, and if you're 80kg and fall on it with a bit of pace, you'll do a little dent, but it's all good and ready for action tomorrow."
The incident highlights one of the biggest differences between Team NZ and rivals Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, who are the only team to adopt dual helmsmen roles in their crew.
Essentially, key Team NZ personnel must cross the deck every time they change direction on the course, whereas the Italians have helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni on either side of the deck throughout racing.
Crossing the boat can prove treacherous at times, especially at high speed with water churning all around. During the Prada Cup challenger series, INEOS Team UK skipper Sir Ben Ainslie almost fell overboard, as he carried out the tricky manoeuvre.
Join us at 4:15pm Friday for live updates the America's Cup match between Team NZ and Luna Rossa
