Australian Yacht Oneaustralia Goes Down Under In Cup

A sloop from Australia sank in heavy wind and fierce waves Sunday in the worst accident in America’s Cup history. All 17 crew members were rescued.

The boat, oneAustralia, was the new multimillion-dollar yacht skippered by 1983 America’s Cup winner John Bertrand and was racing Team New Zealand.

The 75-foot carbon-fiber sloop sank in less than a minute. There was no immediate word on the cause.

The boat sank in 1,200 feet of water about two miles off the coast and could have broken in two if the stress was great enough.

The oneAustralia syndicate must ask an international jury if it can use its older boat to continue in the regatta.