skipper of the Oracle America's Cup syndicate, received a scare in he and his team's America's Cup build-up, when a 21-ton keel snapped off their racing yacht in the Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand.

The Kiwi helmsman said that he heard a sharp crack when the keel was dislodged from the hull in rough conditions among the sometimes treacherous waters off Auckland. The yacht started to capsize immediately as water poured into the damaged hull.

However, no injuries resulted, with all crew members picked up by chase boats, while the stricken vessel was towed to a nearby island before being returned to its base in Auckland.

The Seattle-based Oracle Racing team, backed by billionaire Larry Ellison, was the first challenger to set up base in the Pacific island to begin preparations for the 2003 regatta.

Oracle acquired the yacht, USA61, from the AmericaOne syndicate.