America's Cup winning skipper Jimmy Spithill will miss the next round of the world series as he continues to struggle with an elbow injury.
The development is an unexpected boost for Team New Zealand as the six America's Cup syndicates get ready to battle on the seas off Toulon in the south of France this weekend.
Team New Zealand surrendered their lead in the world series at the last regatta in Portsmouth, dropping to third behind Ben Ainslie Racing (GB) and Cup holder Oracle.
Oracle Team USA have announced Australian Tom Slingsby will take over the helm of their 45-foot catamaran from Spithill.
Spithill injured the elbow during the 2013 America's Cup win over Team New Zealand in San Francisco and had subsequent surgery.
With the next Cup in Bermuda looming next May, he wants to get the problem sorted.
The physical strains of sailing the foiling cats as syndicates immerse themselves in development and testing new boats alongside the world series racing is immense.
"I wanted to be 100 per cent right before I load it up in racing environment," Spithill explained in a statement from Oracle.
"The rehab is coming along well and I may actually be fit enough to race, but there's a slight chance that I could re-injure it by coming back too early, and that's a risk we don't need to take.
"Tom has been steering and racing our AC45S boat in Bermuda a lot over the summer and I know he's keen to get out there and show what he can do. We have such depth and talent on this team, I am confident that Tom will deliver a good performance."
But the absence of the hard-nosed Spithill will hurt the Americans.
Crew shuffles have had an impact as the series has developed.
Team New Zealand's recent struggles in England came when their Olympic gold medallists Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were absent in the buildup to Rio.
Burling and Tuke are back in the Kiwi mix this weekend and the syndicate will be out to make up lost ground.
Slingsby is no slouch though. He was a strategist on board Oracle's massive 72-foot catamaran in the 2013 Cup triumph, a year after winning gold in the Laser class at the London Olympics.
"This was always something we had to be prepared for as a team," Slingsby said.
"In any position on board, you want to have a good back-up who can step in. Jimmy is very talented and experienced. I know it won't be easy but I'm looking forward to the opportunity."
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