). I am going to ask them to post GPS tracks.quote:
And on Saturday 10 December, it looked as though finally they would get their chance. In 22 knots of wind, Macquarie Innovation accelerated from a standing start to be at 45.9 kts as it entered the 500m course. Expectations escalated rapidly, as those that were witnessing the run from the beach, knew that top speeds were not encountered until 3/4 of the way down the course. Unfortunately, the potential was never realised as a rare structural failure in the wing occurred less than 30m into the course. This fact was even more surprising considering that the team have been developing and building solid wing sails since the mid 1980's and this is the first structural wing failure of this nature to have occurred in 20 years.
The co-pilot of Macquarie Innovation, Tim Daddo, reports that "...while the damage looks spectacular, it was actually quite a "low-tech" item that failed and repair should not be too difficult. We're looking forward to rebuilding and being able to deliver a slice of world history to Australian shores soon."
Needless to say, the team are very disappointed as all could see that "world history", was less than 20 seconds away. Nevertheless, it is this fact that has inspired them to rebuild and return to complete what they refer to as "unfinished business".
