Professional surfers Kai Lenny and Jamie O'Brien embarked on a thrilling adventure when they set sail aboard the high-performance USA SailGP F50 foiling catamaran.
The 49-foot (15-meter) F50 catamaran is renowned for its unprecedented speeds and is considered one of the fastest racing sailing classes globally.
The record for the fastest speed in this class belongs to the France SailGP Team, reaching an astonishing 53.96 knots (62.10 miles per hour or 99.94 kilometers per hour).
SailGP, a prestigious 13-event competition, spans across multiple countries, including the USA, France, Italy, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and Canada.
Lenny and O'Brien, after receiving an introduction to the one-design foiling catamaran and undergoing essential safety lessons and practice sessions, were invited to join the crew for a training session in the open waters near San Francisco.
The memorable incident, though occurring in March 2022, has only recently surfaced through footage.
Jamie O'Brien was the first to experience the thrill of the F50 catamaran alongside Jimmy Spithill, and he couldn't contain his excitement, stating, "I honestly can't even explain how amazing that was."
"We were going 46 knots. We were experiencing full G-forces pushing us against the side of the boat."
"It's an exhilarating sensation. You can barely breathe, and then you jump over the side of the boat - there's just so much happening."
Flipped Over
Then, it was Kai's turn. But the ride was not as smooth.
"We did a really fast track, and I was starting to get the rhythm of going across. You can totally see how you could fall off," explained the multi-water sports aficionado.
"These guys are running sideways. As I was about to get out, the boat started tipping, and I was like, "Oh, that's probably going to come back down." But it just kept going, and then it went over pretty quickly."
Lenny likened the experience to "a race car out there," but in reality, it's more like the Formula 1 of boats, with a price tag ranging from 8 to 10 million dollars.
According to the United States SailGP team, the unexpected wipeout resulted from a systems issue that prevented the wing sail from inverting correctly when Spithill initiated a maneuver.
In the end, Kai Lenny couldn't pull off a backflip with Team USA's SailGP catamaran, but he did gain valuable insights for his upcoming sailing adventures.
Fortunately, nobody sustained injuries, and the boat's damage remained minimal.