<i> C’est La Vie </i> : French Team’s Yacht Damaged in Accident

The French team’s yacht for the upcoming America’s Cup races was damaged Wednesday during an accident in the team compound on Mission Bay.

A piece of equipment used to lift the yacht into the water failed, dropping the yacht and forcing the keel up through the deck.

There was no structural damage to the hull, the French syndicate said. But the yacht’s deck suffered substantial damage and the mast is beyond repair.

It wasn’t immediately known how much it will cost to repair the boat, said French team skipper Marc Pajot. A new mast alone could cost $300,000 to $500,000, but the French team said it has a spare.

Pajot predicted the repairs could be finished within two weeks. Until then, the French team will practice on the boat it had used during the 1992 America’s Cup races.

No one was hurt in the accident, and Pajot said he felt lucky the damage to the boat wasn’t worse. The yacht was only a few feet off the ground when the lifting box failed.

Pajot and other team sailors were in a meeting in an office building nearby when the accident happened.

The America’s Cup teams have been training in the waters off San Diego in preparation for the races, which begin in January.

The French team is one of the overseas challengers that will compete for the right to take on the defending team, America 3.