Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill has often compared steering the powerful catamarans to driving a race car.

NPR: America's Cup Fatality Raises Safety Questions

"The past America's Cups have been like watching paint dry, when the boats were very slow and miles offshore, " Jimmy Spithill, skipper for the Oracle team, said in an interview last month.

WSJ: America's Cup Team Feared Capsizing

"The past America's Cups have been like watching paint dry, when the boats were very slow and miles offshore, " Jimmy Spithill, the skipper for Oracle Team USA, said in an interview last month as his team was under way with its own training.

WSJ: Before America's Cup Capsize, Concerns About Safety