MOD 70 - VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 capsized off the coast of Belle Ile

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And here's the helicopter rescue

http://youtu.be/g1TvB46DQU4

That is even better than the RNLI videos

 

[Keen_Ed]

Long article on TDS about the problems with hydraulic mainsheets.

 

[Woodlouse]

They were caught by a squall coming from behind.They let the main go but (according to the text) not far enough.That makes me think that if they're vulnerable to a simple squall how can they hope to cross an ocean?

You don't push a boat so hard when crossing oceans as when you are training or racing inshore with assistance on hand should something go wrong. These aren't untested boats and they've already raced across oceans.

 

[Iliade]

As a pilot of very light aircraft who is also familiar with helicopters, their wake turbulence and the incredible lack of understanding of these effects by helicopter pilots, I would hazard that the capsize was almost certainly helicopter assisted. Yes the helicopter was in translational lift mode, but they still create enough turbulence to do something like that.

A few years back the world hang gliding champion had a filming helicopter fly overhead and break up his aircraft, with fatal results.

 

[Woodlouse]

As a pilot of very light aircraft who is also familiar with helicopters, their wake turbulence and the incredible lack of understanding of these effects by helicopter pilots, I would hazard that the capsize was almost certainly helicopter assisted. Yes the helicopter was in translational lift mode, but they still create enough turbulence to do something like that.

A few years back the world hang gliding champion had a filming helicopter fly overhead and break up his aircraft, with fatal results.

It's really not likely the helicopter had anything to do with it. When you have a helicopter filming your training sessions you don't use a helicopter pilot that gets so close as to effect you in any way. They would have kept their distance and used a long lense. Big racing multihulls capsize every now and then. Another MOD70, Spindrift, did the exactly same thing in Dublin earlier this year during an inshore race.