Following the dramatic capsize and rescue of its AC72 on Tuesday, ORACLE TEAM USA has shifted to recovery mode on Wednesday, as the team works to salvage its America’s Cup boat.

The AC72 is lifted out the water:

The racing catamaran was towed back to the team base at Pier 80, upside down, arriving at 1:30am (local time) on Wednesday morning.

With the main element of the towering wingsail nearly “destroyed” according to skipper Jimmy Spithill, the team has been focused on recovering the catamaran itself, while boats have been sent out into San Francisco Bay to recover more parts of the wing.

The team has secured the platform to the dock is planning to lift it ashore in a way that minimises further damage. This process should take place early in the afternoon.

“This is definitely one of the key moments in this campaign,” skipper Jimmy Spithill said on Wednesday as he looked at the crew preparing the catamaran platform so it could be hauled out of the water.

“This is a setback. Obviously we didn’t want this to happen. However this team has shown some real resiliency and been able to overcome challenges like this in the past. Champion teams have to overcome adversity and I’m confident we can do that. This is the team I want to be with in a time like this.”

For more, visit www.americascup.com.

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