The crew of the first Farr X2 have been rescued after the boat lost its keel on an overnight offshore qualifier. Nexba Racing, a new 30ft grand prix racer aimed at the short-handed market, was sailing in a 100nm qualifier off the coast of New South Wales, Australia in a light to moderate breeze and 1-2m seas when the keel attachment failed resulting in the boat capsizing. The two female crew were rescued after spending 15 hours drifting. The 9.2-metre boat is the latest project from Farr Yacht Design. She was built in Singapore by XSP and launched in May.
“We are very thankful that the two crew were safely recovered and for the swift action of the Royal Australian Navy Destroyer HMAS Brisbane for rescuing the sailors in very challenging conditions,” said Farr in a statement.
“We take the safety of all the crews who sail on boats of our design very seriously and our design team is working with the builders, component suppliers and the composite structural engineers of to identify the root cause and to implement any necessary design, material or build process changes required to insure this cannot happen again.”
And the boatbuilder said further information will be provided after a review of all available information has been carried out. At least eight Farr X2s have been sold.