It was a dramatic opening day of racing at the 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples, as French challengers La Roche Posay were involved in a high-speed nosedive.
Light and shifty winds initially delayed the first race by several hours, as thunderstorms rolled through earlier in the morning.
But as the second race of the day commenced, the French quickly lost control on the start line after the manoeuvre they carried out resulted in their boat plunging almost vertically into the waters of the Mediterranean before capsizing.
Commentators could be heard saying "Oh! La Roche Posay Racing team, it is down! It is over and it is capsized."
Another said the crash was "incredibly close" to another boat.
All sailors on the boat were reported to be uninjured, and the boat was righted quickly.
Meanwhile, Team New Zealand finished with a fifth and third place in the races, putting them second on the standings behind Peter Burling's Luna Rossa.
Burling, the three-time America's Cup winner, said on Friday evening that "it wasn’t an easy first day, but it all turned out well in the end".
"The conditions were challenging, particularly in the second race, when the wind and waves were coming from different directions. but it’s great – and also interesting – to race in these conditions," he said.
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