Yacht-enfreude will meet Flugtag this weekend as the proficient yacht-sinkers from Oracle Racing plan to pitchpole yet another expensive piece of equipment into the Bay as part of the Red Bull-sponsored, hyper-caffeinated crash festival.

After making a big splash in the news when their AC72 catamaran was nearly lost to the Pacific Ocean last month, Oracle sailor Shannon Falcone decided to use salvaged pieces of the $8 million racing yacht to build a makeshift flying machine for Saturday's event. Unlike quirky competitors with R. Kelly hang gliders and flying nacho chips, however, Team Oracle's entry will be a scaled-down version of the boat they wrecked last month. Not helping his team's reputation for crashing things, Falcone told the Chronicle his mini-yacht, dubbed "The Spirit of 17" will "pitch-pole right off the platform" in an attempt to recreate the October 16th crash out on the bay.

Without a boat to practice on until they can get a replacement in February, Falcone thought the Red Bull competition would be a welcome distraction for his teammates. Although he has shown great prowess in crashing things, Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill will sit this one out because he has already signed on to judge the event. Thankfully for the other 33 teams set to launch their doomed dirigibles off the 30-foot-tall platform in McCovey Cove this weekend, the ringers from Team Oracle won't be part of the official competition. Rather, they're just tagging along as a sideshow/PR stunt to make sure no one in San Francisco forgets about the America's Cup.

The event happens this Saturday, November 10th in McCovey Cove. Gates open at 11 a.m. and flights takeoff at 1 p.m.

Previously: All America's Cup and Flugtag coverage on SFist.
[Chron]