Picking up where they left off in January, Peter Burling’s Black Foils have claimed their third consecutive win in the UAE, soaring ahead of the Emirates Great Britain and US SailGP Team on the pristine waters of Port Mina Rashid. The Black Foils are back-to-back-winners of the Rolex SailGP Championship’s season-opening event.

New Zealand driver Peter Burling said, “Awesome play from the group – I mean as a new team to get to the final this week – it’s one of the hardest things in this light air. And we really pulled it out this season and got a great start and hit it right at mark one. I made a bad choice making it a bit more complicated – taking a right turn – which put us right back in the pack but then it was clean, and it was good to race from there to take a win.”

Following a day of technical, light-air racing on Saturday, the 11-strong Rolex SailGP Championship fleet enjoyed breezy, foiling conditions – providing a spectacle for fans watching along the shoreline.

Finishing in third was an ecstatic US SailGP Team Driver Taylor Canfield, who celebrated, “Any event going on the podium is incredible, so it’s awesome to see how all the hard work we have put in is paying off. It’s early stages, and we have a lot to build on –- but the team are working hard and made a huge jump here overnight. And everyone dug in deep and found a way to get better for today. That’s the goal and it just shows how driven, and that everyone’s got that fight in them – so yeah we are pumped.”

The Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix, presented by P&O Marinas marked a welcome shift for the all-American crew, who have not made it on the podium since the last time they raced in the Middle East. The team delivered a consistent performance on both days of racing, earning the critical points needed to clinch a spot in the podium final.

Celebrating an impressive second place podium finish at his first event since Season 1, Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher proved he’s more than capable of competing against the best athletes in the sport.

Heading into the fifth and final fleet race of the weekend, a tight battle for third was poised between a handful of teams, including Emirates GBR and reigning Rolex SailGP Champions Spain. But it wasn’t to be for Los Gallos, who couldn’t manage to stay in front of Fletcher and missed out on the three-boat final. Despite leading the fleet heading into day two, the Flying Roo of the Australian SailGP team also missed out after finishing last in race five.

One of SailGP’s two new nations in the 2025 Season, Red Bull Italy, missed out on event points whilst fellow debut Mubadala Brazil added their first point to the Rolex SailGP Championship standings.

Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team Driver Martine Grael said, “There were a lot of challenges. Some during the first day – our first time on the big wings. I think it’s all going well and I’m very happy with our crew. We’ve been trying to improve a lot in the last few days, so it’s been a steep learning curve.”

The league now heads down under in January, with the Rolex SailGP’s first event of the new year, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland (January 18-19, 2025). The event will be the league’s long-awaited debut in the city. “We’re super excited to get home,” Burling said. “The buzz in town is already growing. The renders of the grandstand, which is just about to get built, is amazing. So, for any Kiwis who have not bought tickets yet, it’s going to be an amazing weekend.”

EMIRATES DUBAI SAIL GRAND PRIX, PRESENTED BY P&O MARINAS DAY TWO STANDINGS

EMIRATES DUBAI SAIL GRAND PRIX, PRESENTED BY P&O MARINAS LEADERBOARD

The post SailGP’s Black Foils Start Season 5 With a Win appeared first on Sailing World.

The sailors of the US SailGP Team have been living their best Rockstar life in Dubai for about three weeks, acclimating for the first regatta of SailGP’s fifth season. They’ve played in a gigantic waterpark, bounced a concert, and bombed through the desert in dune buggies under a full moon. All of it so ridiculously amazing, says its strategist Mike Buckley, and that’s even before the lights and cameras of the media day, the VIPing and the practice sessions on their newly wrapped Lady Liberty in “Liberty Green.”

It’s all good, but it’s time to go racing.

The league has slapped down a bumped-up $12 million prize purse on the heels of announcing Rolex as title sponsor and a 10-year deal. The Rolex SailGP Championship is now a long season that circles back to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) next November, with 14 international venues and 12 teams going for it. The US Team rookied its way through last season, under-skilled in the F50 and babes to the slaughter of the leagues veteran teams. But a summer training block in Bermuda in August, and productive days in Dubai with their new flight controller Hans Hanken, is a boost to their confidence.

“Our confidence—in executing maneuvers—is probably the biggest thing,” said helmsman Taylor Canfield. “We gained a lot of confidence in our ability to push the boat. In some of the venues and in some of the conditions last season where we were very inexperienced there was definitely some intimidation. The boat was sailing us a little bit, and now it feels like we’re sailing the boat and taking control. We have the confidence to do any maneuver that any of the top teams are doing now.”

That’s not just because of Henken’s mountain of experience as flight controller alongside Jimmy Spithill, the league’s undisputed GOAT. It’s the whole team, Buckley reminds: “Everybody’s so damn good on these teams. The experience certainly helps. But you need the chemistry, you need the communication, you need the confidence in each other to really move up the leaderboard. Some of these other teams have taken key people out or moved people around, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it stacks up.”

Weis is Jacked, As Is the Team

Buckley also believes he has an ace in the cockpit with jib trimmer and grinder Anna Weis. She’s been posted up at the Red Bull Athletic Performance Center, doing the heavy lifting so her grinding can get the F50 the lift it needs for “popping.”

She went into training at 14 pullups, Weis says. She’s now pulling 17. Canfield only dreams of that.

“I’m on for every single race, and that’s exactly why I train super hard, so that I can push as hard as I can in every single race,” Weiss says. And yes, when not hitting the handles hard, she’s also trimming the jib. “I think that especially in lighter conditions it’s going to be an advantage because the women are going to have to grind and four- and five-up sailing conditions (likely for Dubai), so it just gives our team a benefit that I have the experience and have been training for it.”

Light-winds on the practice day delivered mixed to marginally good results (5-7-8) for the US team, but those don’t count, Canfield says, as there was some “erratic behavior from some of the teams” and “umpires clearing calls whenever they want.”  

Still, Canfield said, “We stuck to our plan and had two decent starts and one really good start. We executed when we needed to and made a few mistakes. There’s no doubt with our sailing ability, how much it’s grown over the last month, that, if we sail our best, we can go out and have a good start and win the race.”

An Underdog Prone To Bite

If that were to be the case, the team on Lady Liberty would certainly shock the broadcast commentary team of SailGP, which put the US team at rock bottom of its pre-seasons rankings. “Haters gonna, hate,” Buckley says. “I think we’re a little misunderstood and frankly, everybody loves an underdog, right? And there’s a reason it’s called the American dream, so we’re gonna figure it out. It might not be tomorrow or the next day, but it’s really hard to beat people that are not willing to ever give up.”

As far Canfield is concerned, “It’s a long season, and with this many more boats, you’re going to see people having that big swings, they’re going to win races, and they’re going to have deep ones. So I think a good goal for the team right now is to play the averages, to come away with some threes and fours, and occasionally maybe a seven. We’ll start making finals pretty quickly if we aim for that.”

And it’s all live on Saturday and Sunday (November 23-24), 1 to 5 p.m. GST, on SailGP.com, YouTube and host broadcast networks.

The post No Doubts in Dubai For Rebooted US SailGP Team appeared first on Sailing World.

[Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the addition of the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team to the roster of what is now the Rolex SailGP Championship, following the league’s long-term title sponsorship agreement with the Swiss watch brand.]

SailGP Season 4 is so yesterday, and today the professional sailing series is in full noise in Abu Dhabi with the first of 14 events getting underway this weekend following a flurry of off-season crew shuffles, team reboots and big-time announcements for the league created by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison.

With a new season comes new expectations, so let’s get to it, starting with the US team, poised to make a move from the basement of the Season 4 rankings. The upstart US SailGP Team, which league broadcast commentators confidently put at the bottom of their pre-season prognostications, certainly has something to prove. With the benefit of an off-season training block in Bermuda over the summer and the addition of experienced flight controller and Olympic medalist Hans Henken to the team’s starting roster this week, they’re in a much better place and poised for the long season ahead which finishes in Abu Dhabi next November. Helmsman Taylor Canfield, team strategist and CEO Mike Buckley, wing trimmer Jeremy Wilmot, flight controllers Henken and Mac Agnese, and grinders Anna Weiss (also the designated jib trimmer), and Peter Kinney round out the All-American starting lineup, which will be out for points on its rebranded F50.

The Season 4 champions of Spain SailGP Team return largely intact with Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year and Olympic gold medalists Diego Botin and Florian Trittel, as well as Joel Rodriguez, the team’s flight controller. With this threesome locked into their normal positions and a solid grinding squad to pull from, there’s good reason to expect a strong showing from the defending champions.

Australia SailGP Team helmsman Tom Slingsby is now free of his America’s Cup distractions and will no doubt return to form, but he’s lost his longtime wingman Kyle Langford and the chemistry the two of them have perfected over the years. Smoothing the transition, however, is Chris Draper, who’s moved fluidly between various teams over the past few years as a reliable and experienced hand on the controls.

Slingsby has retained the rest of the Aussie line-up, including veteran flight controller Jason Waterhouse, grinders Kinley Fowler and Sam Newton, strategist Natasha Bryant and reserve strategist Nina Curtis. Confidence is high that the Aussies will find their way to Dubai’s three-boat finale and will continue to be contenders for the season purse once again.

The Canadian squad was hot and on the chopping block at the end of Season 4, but with a new helmsman in British Olympian and Giles Scott (and the dismissal of the league’s most entertaining helmsman Phil Robertson) and a rebrand as the Northstar SailGP Team, the Canucks are a true wildcard of the league once again. Wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James, who’s been in the league since the beginning, has seen most everything that can happen in an F50, remains with the team, as does strategist and past US Olympian Annie Haeger.

Emirates GBR SailGP Team’s most dramatic lineup change is Olympian and America’s Cup helmsman Dylan Fletcher assuming full control of the wheels from team principle Ben Ainslie, who no doubt was looking for a bit of mental break after a brutal America’s Cup campaign and keen to see the team develop with some new and younger energy. Ainslie will settle deeper into his CEO role.

“It’s a tough one because ultimately I love the sailing part more than anything,” Ainslie said in a team statement. “I still feel good physically, I can get around the boat just fine, but it’s about the future of the team and I don’t think the future of the team on the water should be based around me.”

It will be fascinating to watch develop the dynamic between Fletcher and ace strategist Hannah Mills, who led the INEOS Britannia’s AC40 Athena Pathway program into the Puig America’s Cup Final in Barcelona. Both have been immersed in pinnacle racing for the past year and at the top game, and that will certainly make a difference when the pressure is on.

Denmark’s Rockwool Racing, with its entertaining and humble helmsman in Nicolai Shehested, has been knocking at the top of the fleet for the past two seasons, beset by self-inflicted setbacks, so the announcement this week of onboarding Italian America’s Cup helmsman Francesco Bruni as a coach is welcome news to Rockwool fans. With teams now having direct communication with coaches on shore during the racing, the coach’s booth concept has had a significant impact on better consistency for some teams in Season 4 and as this relationship develops, Bruni will perhaps provide the sage wisdom to keep the Danes more consistent over the duration of the entire season.

Germany SailGP Team, now in its third season, has continued to be a regular presence at the back of the fleet, but with its squad returning behind helmsman Erik Heil, German fans hoped the team’s collective experience of late will advance them up the standings this year, leaving the newcomers of the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team with the burden of rookie status.

But the Brazilians have the league’s sole female helmswoman of Martine Grael, a decorated medalist in the 49erFX, and a force on any racecourse. To fast-track with the F50, the Brazilians have tapped British wing trimmer Leigh McMillian and recruited flight controller Andy Maloney away from the New Zealand Black Foils camp. Grael was expecting to get up to speed with the F50 during the Bermuda training camp, but her time was cut short when the boat’s wing collapsed (no fault of the sailors), leaving them short on time in the boat.

The Swiss SailGP Team, unable to string together a winning package over the past three seasons have rebooted with an interesting new lineup that includes Alinghi Red Bull Racing America’s Cup helmsman Arnaud Psarofaghis as wing trimmer to helmsman Sebastian Schneiter on the wheels. Flight controller Bryan Mettraux is also new to the squad and the team’s management doubled-down on recruiting winning talent from other teams in the league to fill out other roles.

New Zealand, known now as the Black Foils, remains the spoiler as always. With Peter Burling and Blair Tuke fresh off their America’s Cup win in Barcelona, they’ll be eager to put full attention to the season. Leo Takahashi replaces Andy Maloney as flight controller, and Dubai will be the first reveal of how good the Kiwi outfit is for Season 5.

Only days before the Dubai regatta, the league’s 14th team was revealed with the SailGP’s original gangster Jimmy Spithill introducing the sailors of the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team. Spithill, while listed as an alternate helmsman, is leading the young team from the executive suite, leaving the driving of the team’s white F50 to double Olympic Gold Medalist Ruggero Tita. Australian wing trimmer extrordinaire Kyle Langford, was recruited away from the Aussie squad, and is joined by Alex Sinclair and grinders Matteo Celon and Enrico Voltolin. Giulia Fava, fresh of a win of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is the team’s strategist, and Andrea Tesei is the starting flight controller.

The prize money is on the table, the past is in the past and the SailGP beast is about to be unleashed.

The post SailGP Season 5 Up For Grabs appeared first on Sailing World.

In a thrilling and high-speed winner-takes-all Grand Final in SailGP’s Season 4 championship in San Francisco the sailors of Spain SailGP Team defeated league heavyweights Australia and New Zealand to win the series’ $2 million purse. Putting it together when it matters most, the Spanish victory was all about the start, which driver Diego Botin executed to perfection.

Unable to keep the smile from his face after winning, Botin enthused: “Beating the Kiwis and Aussies in the Grand Final here in San Francisco—it’s amazing. We’re over the moon. It’s been a big grind and we’ve been through a lot in this League. Last season we were last in the scores, and this season we win.”

With Australia hot on Spain’s heels for the duration of the Grand Final race, it was all down to moments before the final maneuver where the Australian lost critical momentum during a tack. The Australian team cited a technical error. “It was a normal tack, but somehow the board came off the lock,” Slingsby said. “We’ve done thousands of tacks this week and it hasn’t happened at all, then today it happened in the final $2Million dollar race. What do you do? It’s just unlucky.” 

Despite the technical glitch, the Australians gave chase on the final short drag race to the finish, but the Spaniard’s secured the win by mere seconds.

Australia was the only team to secure multiple fleet race wins in San Francisco, securing three victories out of five total fleet races – proving their usual San Francisco form, despite falling short in the Final. 

Slingsby continued, “Honestly, the team sailed the best we’ve sailed, almost ever, today. We had that mentality the whole race, even when we were behind, so I’m so proud of this team and the way they sailed. I’m honored to be part of it all.”

Following weeks of speculation about the viability of a Spanish team for next season, Botin’s standout performance on San Francisco Bay will have silenced a few critics – and attracted the right kind of attention to hopefully keep the team away from the chopping block come November.

And a nail-biting Final wasn’t the only drama on Championship Sunday – with Fleet Races 4 and 5 filled with their own excitement. While battling for berth in the Final, France SailGP Team misjudged a late tack at the weather mark and collided with Rockwool Denmark SailGP Team, which resulted in the French boat’s rudder breaking and leaving them unable to sail Race 5. The 12-point penalty (and 8 season points) all assured them a view from the sidelines of the Final.

Expressing his disappointment, driver Quentin Delapierre reflected: “Sometimes you prefer to stay at home, and today I think that was the case. At the last tack I just didn’t see the Danish and we crashed with them. We didn’t finish the job and that’s really painful for everybody on board right now. But I’m incredibly proud of what the team achieved, and I think the overall ranking will not show what we’ve done this season, particularly here where we had an unbelievable Saturday.”

Despite being the on-form team throughout the season, New Zealand’s third-place position proved what makes the winner-takes-all Grand Final as cut-throat as it gets. Driver Peter Burling said: “We’re all feeling the pain at the moment, but we’re really proud of the way the team has gone about their business. We’ll go back, reflect on that and come out swinging next season.”

Looking ahead to the 2024/25 Season, SailGP has confirmed that, for the first time ever, teams will get vital training at two pre-season training camps in Bermuda and Dubai, beginning in August and October, respectively. The training is considered essential for new and struggling teams, including the United States SailGP Team, which despite several strong starts finished the regatta ninth overall, a point ahead of the Swiss a point behind the German team, also relatively new to the league.

The 2024/2025 Season will begin with the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas on November 23-24, 2024, which kicks a busy calendar and the addition of a Brazilian team and the league’s first-ever South American stop.

The post Spanish Squad Stuns in Thrilling SailGP San Fran Finale appeared first on Sailing World.

New Zealand’s Black Foils have claimed victory at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, securing their fifth win in 12 events and extending their lead at the top of the season standings. With only three weeks until the ultimate SailGP showdown in San Francisco (July 13-14), New Zealand will head into the Grand Final with a 15-point advantage over Australia. 

Celebrating the win, Black Foils driver Peter Burling said: “This weekend was our last chance to compete in the final before San Fran. We got off the line well three times, and then it was just sailing clean races. But it was definitely super hard on control, with all the ferry waves and the turbulence from the current and the water, so I’m really proud of the team – we’re going to carry that momentum to San Fran. We’re not just going to the final to be there, we want to go there to win it. We know that the last race is the only one that really matters now.”

The penultimate event of Season 4 has marked a coming of age for the global racing championship, which first touched down in the city in 2019. A sold-out event across both days, around 8,000 fans made their way to the purpose-built Race Stadium on Governors Island to witness the most exciting racing on water first-hand, with more fans watching from the water and from vantages spanning the Manhattan shoreline.

Setting The Stage for San Fran SailGP

The weekend’s results have added even more drama in the ‘Battle for Third’ unfolding across the fleet with USD $2 million on the line—the largest prize pot in the sport. Despite missing out on the Final, a commanding victory by the Flying Roo in Fleet Race 4 was critical for the Aussie crew, with driver Tom Slingsby commenting: “Somehow those points worked out pretty well for us—we got a bit lucky out of this event.”

“We’ve been trying to get a bit of momentum heading into San Francisco and we haven’t really nailed that, but we’ve just got to remember that we’ve got a really good track record in San Francisco and the team’s got a lot of confidence there, so we’ll head in with confidence,” Slingsby continued.

Slipping from second to third in the overall standings, Spain has now opened the door to Quentin Delapierre’s France, who finished fifth in New York, with only five points separating the two teams.

Spain’s Diego Botin said: “I think the position we are in will make us be super well prepared for San Fran. We’ll look deep into everything because it’s going to be a big fight.”

The stop also marked the second top performance of Emirates GBR SailGP Team. Helm Giles Scott secured his second podium result in as many events after placing third at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. While Scott was hoping for a win on his birthday in New York, his Emirates GBR SailGP Team finished third in the US capital. The result means the Brits are the only team to make it in to the final races of the last two events, after winning the Canadian Sail Grand Prix earlier this month.

Despite an impressive performance on the opening day of racing in New York, there were further blows in the Final for driver Phil Robertson and the Canada SailGP Team. Despite heading into Championship Sunday top of the event leaderboard, the Canadians were unable to secure what could have been a momentous victory on rival waters. 

Always the maverick, Robertson remained optimistic on his chances for a spot in San Francisco. “It was obviously a very good weekend for us,” said Robertson. “We performed really well in the racing, but the three0-boat finals are a tricky one. I was in a position to attack the Kiwis and I actually decided not to – which is probably slightly out of character – as I thought we could have a crack at pushing over them. We’re climbing up the leaderboard and we’ve put it together this weekend; that’s something we’re really proud of.”

For the U.S. SailGP Team, New York marked the first of two consecutive home events. Despite a challenging home debut, driver Taylor Canfield said: “We are really looking forward to staying in the U.S. for the next one. Being here in front of the whole crowd and all the support we’re getting for San Francisco, it’s incredible. So, we ask the fans to bear with us a little longer! It will come! We’re pumped for a steady, windy venue from what we know, so it should be an exciting one.”

SEASON 4 CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE AFTER MUBADALA NEW YORK SAIL GRAND PRIX

• 1 // New Zealand 93 points
• 2 // Australia 78 points
• 3 // Spain 76 points
• 4 // France 71 points
• 5 // Canada 67 points
• 6 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 67 points
• 7 // Emirates Great Britain 66 points
• 8 // United States 51 points
• 9 // Germany 35 points
• 10 // Switzerland 33 points

The post Black Foils Pad Season Lead with SailGP New York Win appeared first on Sailing World.

Emirates Great Britain has taken the win in a weather-hit final at the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix – with driver Giles Scott claiming his first SailGP victory since stepping into the driver’s seat in January of this year.

Clocking top speeds in excess of 50 knots, Emirates Great Britain thrived in tumultuous conditions. The Brits finished in the top three of both fleet races, before clinching victory in the winner-takes-all Final ahead of France and Spain, who finished second and third respectively.

The victory is momentous for driver Giles Scott, who has come under fierce criticism for his performances since replacing sailing great Sir Ben Ainslie earlier in the year. Today’s win moves Emirates GBR up to sixth on the overall season standings, now 13 points off third as all teams push towards the lucrative $2 million Grand Final in San Francisco in July.

“A win at any league event is huge and certainly for me, personally, to come off the back of a pretty frustrating apprenticeship in SailGP,” Scott said. “To come out with a win here is massive and it’s nice to be able to put a marker down and prove that you’re capable of winning.”

The day’s conditions also caused drama off the water – with high winds forcing SailGP to adopt an adjusted format after being unable to safely crane all ten F50s into the water in time for the start of racing. With team’s prioritized in order of day one standings, Switzerland and the U.S. were unable to race on day two, whilst Germany missed out on Fleet Race Four.

The other major talking point from the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix was the dramatic capsize involving Australia on the final upwind leg of Fleet Race Five. With tumultuous conditions playing no small part, driver Tom Slingsby pointed to a ‘malfunction’ with boat controls as a cause of the incident. All athletes are fine, but the incident builds on recent woes for the Aussie crew, including an eight season-point penalty in Christchurch.

Slingsby said: “No one touched a button and the wing inverted and resulted in a capsize. It’s a technical issue and I feel like a broken record. I don’t like to blame anyone or anything, but it feels like we’ve been pretty unlucky with technical issues.” 

The inaugural ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix has proven a favorite among fans, with thousands braving the rain to watch the action from the sold-out Race Stadium, alongside packed crowds watching from multiple vantage points around waterfront and surrounding harbor.

Despite the home crowd support and a win in Fleet Race Four, the Canada SailGP Team had a disappointing day overall, finishing last in Fleet Race Five to miss out on the Grand Final and end the weekend sixth overall.

Robertson said: “We were having a very good time and how could you not in front of that many people and your home country? We were in pretty good shape going into the last race and we just let it slip away again. It is what it is and what an epic event we’ve just had.”

New Zealand maintains the top spot on the Season 4 Championship leaderboard, despite a fifth-place finish at the event overall. It was the first time that the Black Foils have missed out on a Final since Cadiz last year. With Australia bumped from second to third in the overall standings, there are now five teams in close contention for the Grand Final.

Despite being critical of the “disappointing” decision for his team not to race, U.S. SailGP Team CEO and strategist Mike Buckley remained positive about upcoming consecutive home events in New York (22-23 June) and San Francisco (13-14 July).

Buckley said: “Racing in New York City, where I live with my family, I can’t wait to get there. I think it’s going to be a brilliant show of racing with the rest of the world. Our last two events in the United States are going to be awesome for us. We can’t wait.”

SailGP continues its North American tour with all ten teams heading to the Big Apple for the penultimate event of the season, the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, 22-23 June. Fans will be able to experience the most exciting racing on water in front of the iconic New York City skyline and Statue of Liberty.

ROCKWOOL CANADA SAIL GRAND PRIX // FINAL STANDINGS //

• 1 // Emirates Great Britain 10 points
• 2 // France 9 points
• 3 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 8 points
• 4 // Spain 7 points
• 5 // New Zealand 6 points
• 6 // Canada 5 points
• 7 // Australia 4 points
• 8 // Germany 3 points (did not compete in Fleet Race Four)
• 9 // Switzerland 2 points (Switzerland did not compete in Sunday’s racing)
• 10 // United States 1 points (USA did not compete in Sunday’s racing)

SAILGP SEASON 4 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after 11 events) //

• 1 // New Zealand 83 points
• 2 // Spain 72 points
• 3 // Australia 71 points
• 4 // France 65 points
• 5 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 64 points
• 6 // Emirates GBR 58 points
• 7 // Canada 58 points
• 8 // USA 50 points
• 9 // Germany 35 points
• 10 // Switzerland 28 points

*Season penalties

Australia SailGP Team – docked eight points in Season Championship for 12-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Canada SailGP Team – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

Emirates Great Britain – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Germany SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix

New Zealand SailGP Team unable to compete in Taranto due to the structural failure of the  team’s wingsail at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

ROCKWOOL Denmark – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Spain SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz

Switzerland SailGP Team – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council

The post Emirates Great Britain Wins Chaotic SailGP In Halifax appeared first on Sailing World.

The US SailGP Team had a rough go at the SailGP event in Christchurch, New Zealand, its first event with foiling conditions, a complicated racecourse and an elevated intensity that resulted in collisions and damage across the fleet. We checked in with skipper Taylor Canfield and CEO and strategist Mike Buckley to hear their take on what went right and wrong and where they stand going into the next event in Bermuda in May.

The post On the Line With US SailGP appeared first on Sailing World.

SailGP event No. 9, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch, was messy and unhinged from start to finish, but by Sunday afternoon it was SailGP’s Kiwi squad that emerged as the regatta winner, craftily steering clear of the chaos and doing what they do best: finding space on the racecourse to deliver unmatched pace and precision with its boat handling.

After the cancellation of racing on the regatta’s opening day, due to the presence of protected dolphins in the race area, SailGP race management put three fleet races and the three-boat finale onto the docket.

The first race featured the French team’s stunner of a slingshot start that got them to Mark 1 first and just ahead of the pack as it approached the racecourse boundary. As boats behind them jibed, the Australian team found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time and was unable to avoid a high-speed collision with one of the course’s finish marks. Damage to the Australian F50 brought their regatta to grinding and indefinite halt.

“The moment was a blur,” skipper Tom Slingsby said after racing. “As we rounded the mark we had two boats on our inside and we looked like we were going to hit Canada. The decision was so quick but keeping the team safe is the most important thing so we went straight for the mark.”

The French were able to streak away and build a comfortable lead, but once they were on the open course, the New Zealanders were plenty fast and efficient enough to get past the French and pocket a win.

With the starboard end of the finish gate taken destroyed by the Australians, the race committee put a RIB on station and the New Zealand, French, Spanish, Great Britain and Canadian teams sailed through in that order, but the German and Swiss teams that followed sailed to leeward of the left-hand mark, seemingly finishing incorrectly. The Danish team finished properly, as did the US team as the last boat to cross, but the results remained unchanged, which appeared to confuse the event’s broadcasters and added more drama to the first race. The results stood, however.

With the Australian’s out for good, the fleet was down to nine boats and Race No. 2 was all for Canadians to savor. Skipper Phil Robertson delivered a decisive win and was happy to have survived what he would later call a “demolition derby.”

The third and final fleet race had skipper Quentin Delapierre and his teammates of the France team leading wire to wire after another slingshot start from the leeward end of the line, resulting in three races featuring three different winners and setting up the three-boat podium final with France, New Zealand and Canada.

With a relatively even start for all three teams, the New Zealanders got to Mark 1 first, but off the boundary jibe Canada was hot on their transom. Robertson, who later shared that his boat was full of water as result of a collision with Denmark in the first start, opted not to follow New Zealand after the first leeward gate, tacked away to the left side of the course and that was the end of them. The French gave chase, but the Kiwis were not to be touched once out front.

“Today has been the best day in SailGP history and to come out on the right side of it after such a battle to get into the final is something I am just blown away by,” Burling said after racing. “Being able to sail in front of our home crowd is something we have been looking forward to all season and to take out today in front of them has been incredible.”

On finishing second to the New Zealanders, Robertson said: “We were so close to nailing the start of the final, we had a plan and were so close to exiting it and the Kiwis just did a really good job to get a tiny hook on us. We come away from the weekend one place higher on the leaderboard and are closing on the top three so all in all a great weekend.”

The win for New Zealand and the resulting penalty points awarded to Australia for the damage to the race mark – a total of 8 season points – sees the Kiwi’s retain the overall leaderboard, 9 points in front of Australia. The Australian’s, however, have requested a points penalty review, citing some culpability on the part of the race committee for placing marks so close to the boundary and the Mark 1 exit zone.

“I feel like the event shouldn’t have had those marks there,” Slingsby said after racing. “It was a huge accident waiting to happen.”

Nathan Outteridge, newly anointed as the helmsman of the Swiss team also noted that the race committee’s decision to require use of the light-air foils in what proved to be above their range made handling the boat all the more challenging for his and other teams: “It was challenging on the light-boards, probably should have been on the high-speed boards, in hindsight, but we’re happy we didn’t hurt anyone or hit anyone.”

Another team to slide down the overall leaderboard following the weekend’s racing was Nicolai Sehested’s ROCKWOOL Denmark who was docked four season points for an incident at the start of the first race with Canada, causing substantial damage to the bow of its F50.

The US team, which skipper Taylor Canfield said would be a “disrupter” to the pecking order during the event’s opening press conference, was nothing of the sort. A collision with Denmark in the pre-start of Race 1 inflicted superficial damage to their starboard hull, but in their first full-foiling event they were second row in two of three starts, off the pace, and struggling with their boat handling, finishing last in all three races.

“It was epic racing conditions and the crowds were great,” Canfield said after racing describing his team’s performance as “a little sloppy.”

Our learning curve is so steep but we are still in the phase of making mistakes,” he added, “which makes it hard to stay in the front of the pack.”

The US team’s wing trimmer, Victor Diaz de Leon, was pragmatic in his assessment of the team’s performance: “Today felt like one of those days where you take three steps forward and two back. We went out feeling really good at first, and as competitors, today’s performance is a tough pill to swallow. However, while the results don’t reflect it, the team did make a lot of progress today and we’ll take today’s learnings to improve.”

Next up on the SailGP calendar is Bermuda in early May.

ITM NEW ZEALAND SAIL GRAND PRIX | CHRISTCHURCH RESULTS

Event penalties

Emirates Great Britain penalized eight points for making contact with Switzerland SailGP Team during practice racing

Australia SailGP Team penalized 12 points for making contact causing boat damage with racecourse mark during Fleet Race 1. Review in process.

ROCKWOOL Denmark penalized eight points for making contact with Canada SailGP Team during Fleet Race 1

SAILGP SEASON 4 OVERALL LEADERBOARD

Season penalties

Australia SailGP Team – docked eight points in Season Championship for 12-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Canada SailGP Team – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

Emirates Great Britain – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Germany SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix

ROCKWOOL Denmark – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Spain SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz

Switzerland SailGP Team – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council

New Zealand SailGP Team – granted six event points for ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto as unable to compete due to wing damage suffered at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

The post SailGP’s New Zealanders Win Destructive Event No. 9 appeared first on Sailing World.

Tom Slingsby and his Australian crew were crowned champions of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix Sydney after clinching a sensational win from Denmark and New Zealand in the three-boat final. With the home crowd cheering them on, the Australia team finally secured its first win of SailGP Season 4 in a dramatic final after missing out in the previous seven SailGP events – despite six podium finishes – to keep Australia at the top of the Season 4 leaderboard and eight points ahead of closest rivals, New Zealand.

Slingsby said: “To win after coming so close so many times and in front of our home crowd of Sydney with our family and friends watching, it really doesn’t get much better than this. After the early start penalty, I was convinced it would be hard to get back in the race but the team did so well to set up so we could overtake the Danish to take the lead and get our first win of the season.

“It was hugely important to us. Personally, you start to doubt yourself when you’re not securing wins in the finals, especially when New Zealand has been doing so well lately, you start to question – are they better than us? To win in Australia, you couldn’t have written a better script for us, it was a mark in the ground where New Zealand had two event wins in a row, and we were up against the ropes on our home turf so to deliver like that is amazing.”

The ten-strong fleet delivered exciting racing for the final two qualifying fleet races which saw Erik Heil’s Germany score its first ever SailGP race win – a great comeback after the near capsize from the team the day prior. Race 5 was close fought but it was Quentin Delapierre’s France that was the victor. Defending a strong challenge from Canada – who were back on the race track after a technical failure on the opening day – and Taylor Canfield’s USA, France had a convincing lead but unfortunately a race win was not enough to make the three-boat final and they finished the event fourth.

The super Sunday of racing came down to a nail-biting winner-takes-all Final Podium Race between Australia, New Zealand – driven by Nathan Outteridge, standing in for Peter Burling – and Nicolai Sehested’s ROCKWOOL Denmark.

With all three teams highly motivated for the win; Slingsby his first event win of the season, Sehested his first ever SailGP event win, and Outteridge wanting to win for the Kiwi’s, all three-teams fought hard to get the best start. It looked like this would go to Outteridge as Slingsby held Sehested out but both teams mistimed their final run to the startline and ended up over the line early. This left the Danes out in front and leading at the first mark with both New Zealand and Australia picking up a penalty and having to slow down to get behind them.

An early split between Denmark and Australia allowed Slingsby to get back in the race and despite Sehested gaining to within a boat length right before the final mark, it was the Aussies who crossed the line first, much to the delight of the cheering home crowd.

Sehested said: “It was a chaotic start, but they just kept pushing towards the line and we were all going to be early if no one stopped. Everyone was pretty keen for some risk so we all went for it.

“We went full speed mode, we went really hard – we had a really good shot at it in the end but we were one boat length short and as soon as I saw that, that was it – that’s life sometimes you miss by one length.”

Completing the podium was New Zealand who now has its sights firmly set on its home event, the ITM New Zealand Grand Prix, taking place in Christchurch on March 23-24.

New Zealand SailGP Team wing trimmer and co-CEO Blair Tuke, said: “I am pretty gutted because we did some great work before that. We got ourselves into a really nice spot but not the best execution, I haven’t watched it back yet but they [Australia and Denmark] were fighting each other – we thought we were going to be last so we wanted to push it and turns out we didn’t really need to do that. A bit gutted but all in all a good weekend for the team.

“We now can’t wait to get down to Christchurch, it’s been a long time on the road when you enter the SailGP league, often racing in Europe. Next stop is home and we can’t wait for that – it was absolutely epic last year and a booming crowd. I think we are going to have close to 10,000 people each day – Kiwi support is amazing and the racetrack and grand stand combo is incredible – probably the best in SailGP.”

With just four events remaining until the Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco on July 13-14 – where US$2 million is on the line – there is still all to play with only seven points separating third and seventh positions.

KPMG AUSTRALIA SAIL GRAND PRIX I SYDNEY STANDINGS

OVERALL SAILGP SEASON 4 STANDINGS (after eight events)

*Spain SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía-Cádiz

**New Zealand SailGP Team unable to compete in Taranto due to the structural failure of the  team’s wingsail at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

***Canada SailGP Team Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

****Germany SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix

*****Switzerland SailGP Team docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council

The post Aussies Deliver at Sail Grand Prix Sydney appeared first on Sailing World.

New Zealand did the double in the United Arab Emirates to secure back-to-back victories after winning the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Mastering the light conditions and its nemesis—the 29-meter wing—New Zealand beat Spain and the United States in the three-boat finale. In a change of favor, overall leaders Australia missed out on its first event final of the season to finish seventh.

Burling said: “We have been the ones who have just missed the final by a few points at previous events. Finally winning the last two has been fun but it has been very stressful racing—just battling it out in the middle of the fleet all day in these light wind conditions, it’s not easy.”

The first race of the final day saw a chaotic start with all but three boats—Australia, Spain and France—over the line early and having to get to the back of the pack. The fleet found themselves in light winds and on a tight racecourse for the second day, meaning Australia’s strong start gave them a substantial lead on the rest of the fleet. Extending to nearly 200 meters, the rest of the fleet didn’t stand a chance to catch the three-time SailGP Champion and overall season leader, with Australia taking the win from Quentin Delapierre’s France and Erik Heil’s Germany. Overnight leader Spain—after such a promising start to the event—found themselves at the back of the fleet in tenth and with work to do to have a chance of making the event final.

However, Diego Botín’s Spanish team rallied in the second race of the day. Getting off the line quickly, the team led from start to finish, to win the race and book its place in the final. A remarkable feat considering they got there with three first places and two last places.

After a promising start to the day, it was a disappointment for Slingsby who mistimed the start, and crossed the line early, getting a penalty and putting Australia at the back of the fleet and with a tall task to claw back and make the final.

Slingsby said: “In the fifth race of the day, something went wrong with our software and we paid the price for it. It does not change the strategy for us, our big goal is to win at the end of the season, so we just need to make that final.”

Germany’s new SailGP team continued its success in the second race to take an impressive second behind Spain – an equal best in SailGP – and while not enough to make the final, Germany finished fifth overall – its best result to date.

The new sailing squad with the United States SailGP team—Taylor Canfield helming—sailed well to secure a fourth and third, to advance into the first final under Canfield, with the final spot secured by the Burling’s Kiwi’s. 

In the three-boat event final, the Kiwis had the strongest start, crossing the line first and leading round the first mark from Spain and the United States. With New Zealand in the lead, Spain and the US battled it out but Canfield decided to split from the fleet at the second mark in search of more wind, which left the Kiwis and the Spanish team neck and neck.

New Zealand continued the lead around Gate 3, with Spain and US arriving at the same time – although with Spain the right of way boat, Canfield was forced to go around outside them. New Zealand managed to extend its lead to take the win and claim the title of champions of the UAE – followed by Spain and finally the US.

Canfield said: “It’s a little disappointing, but we made it to third place—a great result. I think we are sailing the boat well and even if we are behind, we can come back in the races. It’s very new for a lot of us, some in new positions or new to the boat, so I think there is much more to come. We are looking forward to it.”

The results from this weekend closes the gap between the Aussies who still remain first overall on the leaderboard, ahead of New Zealand who have bumped their way up to second place with only a 6-point gap between first and second. The Kiwis now hold the record for the most event wins across Season 4. A podium result for the US, sees them move up the leaderboard from fifth to third.

SailGP’s fleet now heads to Sydney for the eighth event of Season 4, which takes place on February 24-25.

MUBADALA ABU DHABI SAIL GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ABU DHABI SPORTS COUNCIL FINAL STANDINGS

SAILGP SEASON 4 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after seven events)

*Spain SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía-Cádiz

**New Zealand SailGP Team unable to compete in Taranto due to the structural failure of the  team’s wingsail at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

***Canada SailGP Team Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

****Germany SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix

*****Switzerland SailGP Team docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council

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