Team New Zealand's America's Cup campaign is far from over despite the boat's stunning capsize against BAR, said helmsman Peter Burling.
After apologising for "keeping everyone waiting" in typically understated fashion, Burling told media at the post-race press conference that although the damage was significant, he was confident they'd be able to get the boat back up to racing speed.
"They’ve taken the boat out and they're assessing the damage, of which we have quite a bit, but we feel like we'll be able to repair it and get back into action," said Burling.
"The most important thing for us is all the guys on board are safe and with no major injuries."
The 26-year-old hadn't yet had a chance to review the footage, but recounted the incident at the pre-start as a "slight misjudgement" in what were challenging high winds - gusting right at the maximum allowed racing limit of 24 knots.
"We accelerated like normal, we got very high on the foil, and then pretty soon after that we were going down very quickly.
"The winds were at the upper limits today, but that's all part of it.
"We're not quite sure what caused it yet, but we'll review it soon."
The Olympic gold medallist was full of praise for his crew after they were forced to make a late repair to a broken wing prior to their comprehensive win in race one, hailing their attitude in the face of adversity.
However, he remained uncertain whether the boat would be ready to resume racing on Thursday (NZ time).
"One thing is, as a group of New Zealanders, we are incredibly resilient. That first race showed that.
"The whole team came together and managed to get us that point, and I think that’s something that will be pretty crucial looking forward.
"They're already working on the repairs and getting us back out there, and we'll bounce back from this."
"We'll get the boat back to 100 per cent, but right now we're still assessing the damage."
The editor of Sailing World Richard Blackwell told The AM Show that although the scenes were highly dramatic, the damage to the boat itself was - in fact- relatively minimal.
"The damage looks a bit horrific to the untrained eye, but when you go down it looks like it's not too bad," said Blackwell.
"They're certainly not out of the America's Cup.
"If they were going to race tomorrow, which is most unlikely, they'd be out there on the start line."
Team NZ still hold a 3-1 lead over the British boat in the best of nine series.
Newshub.
