Sailing: Conner's yacht sinks during training run

The yacht which carries the America's Cup hopes of Dennis Conner has been rescued after sinking at the end of a day's training off Long Beach, California. Stars & Stripes was back on its cradle yesterday, having sunk on Tuesday evening after suffering "failure in the rudder shaft area, allowing water to flood into the hull".

Conner was ashore at the time and the 15 crew all escaped unharmed as the 80-foot dark blue hull disappeared at the entrance to Long Beach Harbour. According to a spokesman, "a large crack was heard and the rudder detached from the hull". The yacht was raised by a floating crane later the same day and Conner said that the mast and rigging were undamaged. The team will not know the full extent of the other damage until the boat is examined.

A major investigation was taking place into the cause of the failure, with interest heightened by speculation that the yacht has a highly unconventional keel and rudder configuration in a bid to give it a speed edge over the eight other challengers on their way to Auckland for the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup elimination series on 1 October.

The only other America's Cup yacht to sink was oneAustralia, which cracked in two and sank off San Diego during a challenger series race in March 1995. All 16 sailors were rescued after that mishap. America's Cup contenders can race only one yacht at a time. Conner still has a second boat, Stars & Stripes USA-66, launched in February, that could compete.