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

The post New Zealand SailGP Team Locks Another Win appeared first on Sailing World.

As the white bows of Canada SailGP Team’s F50 catamaran struck the finish line of the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix’s three-boat finale, the crew celebrated its chaotic race win with fist bumps and high fives. But mere seconds earlier, the umpires onshore had dinged the Canadians with a mark-room penalty while rounding the final leeward gate. The celebration was short lived and the regatta win went the way of New Zealand’s SailGP Team, which had snatched the lead in the final seconds with a precision hand-brake turn around the mark.

In slow-motion, with the New Zealanders on the inside, the Australian’s jammed in the middle and the Canadians on the outside, the three boats crept toward the line having rounded the mark in a pinwheel. The ensuing final leg into the finish—squeezed against a seawall and no longer than three-boatlengths—was far too short for the Canadians to clear their penalty and make a move.

It was a captivating end to an unpredictable regatta that highlighted the knock-on effects of key crew and personnel swaps following the sale and re-launch of an all-new lineup for the US team. As a result of longtime skipper and and CEO Jimmy Spithill selling the franchise to its new CEO, Mike Buckley, and a team of celebrity and tech investors, Spithill was free to slide into the Australian boat’s driver’s seat for one last hurrah. Spithill’s experienced wing trimmer, Paul Campbell-James, as well as his coach Philippe Presti, were picked up by the Canadian team. Those swaps were seamless and fruitful for skipper Phil Robertson as the Canadians were in fine form throughout the regatta. If not for the seemingly unavoidable and fatal mark penalty, the Dubai event could easily have gone the way of the Canucks, but Robertson chuckled it off as one that didn’t quite go to plan.

Spithill slotting into the Australia SailGP driver’s seat was seamless as well and while his acumen at the helm of an F50 is undeniable, it’s also true he walked on to a supremely talented sailing team that is on Season 4 roll. Once he got his mojo going, he almost delivered a storybook ending to his SailGP career, but he was content to bow out of the arena having preserved the Australian team’s place atop the overall standings.

“I gave myself a goal coming into the team to get a consistent result, not get penalty boats or damage the boat, so from that point of view I’m really satisfied but of course I would have loved to have gotten them a win here in Dubai,” Spithill said. “It’s been one hell of a ride and I’m going to miss the battles and the competition.”

The league rookies of the US team were under no illusions of reaching the finale in their first event, but with limited simulator sessions and four days of training on the F50, they showed moments of potential, which was impressive given the many challenges every new team faces on and off the water: the distracting circus of hospitality, sponsor and media commitments, let alone coming to grips with the complex boat. Alternating between the five-up and four-up crew configuration and understanding the complexities of two different wing sizes presented additional layers of complexity for the first timers, but in difficult conditions they had decent starts by employing a different sort of strategy (early setup versus the long slingshot approach). But in marginal and punishing foiling conditions they struggled with maneuvers and moding and it didn’t take long before they were off screen and getting lapped on the short courses.

“It’s a work in progress for sure,” Canfield said in the media mixed zone on the final day. “To get to where we got to in a matter of four days is pretty cool to see how the team has pushed hard to get to this level.”

For the US team, Dubai is the first bench mark of their season and they now have a foundation to build upon with a realistic take of their strengths and weaknesses and the areas to improve ahead of the next event in Abu Dhabi in mid-January. If there’s one takeaway for hopeful fans of the US team, it’s worth noting that Canfield showed some serious new-guy gumption when his competitive instincts led him to shut the door hard on Emirates Team GBR’s Ben Ainslie in the final fleet race start of the series. The Brits were on a roll and were eager to reach the Finale in what was an important event with their Emirates sponsorship.

With a high-speed slingshot approach to the starboard end of the line, it appeared the Brits were about to cream the fleet with a perfect start, but Canfield denied them entry, pressed the protest button and gave the Brits a disqualification that denied them a place in the finale.

Ainslie, who has had his share of verbal exchanges with SailGP’s chief umpire, Craig Mitchell, kept his composure in the moment but later opined that the call was marginal.

“We were in pole position and it was really 50-50 with the USA,” Ainslie said. “They were obviously gunning to try and shut us out and eventually the umpires decided that was the case…But that’s sport. Sometimes it’s going to go against you and you just have to take it on the chin.”

“Unfortunate positioning for Ben,” Canfield said, “but that’s how it goes. We’re here to race.”

That said, the state of US and UK relations may not be as cordial as they were once were on the SailGP racecourse when these two teams meet again Abu Dhabi. Ainslie is as ruthless and vengeful as he is talented.

The post Canadians Pipped At the Post appeared first on Sailing World.

When SailGP’s Season 4 racing resumes next month at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix there will two starting skippers absent from the lineup. Rolex World Sailor of the Year and SailGP Australia’s helmsman Tom Slingsby will be home expecting his first child and SailGP USA’s Jimmy Spithill will be watching from afar as he’s announced he’s sold the team with plans to launch an Italian squad after next year’s America’s Cup.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved on and off the water with the US Team,” Spithill said in an announcement last week. “When I took over for Season 2, the team had just finished last overall in Season 1 and had no sponsors. I immediately took the team to the Grand Final, added multiple sponsors, and as a team we experienced multiple wins – including the last event in Spain.”

The Finals win in Spain was certainly the highlight of an otherwise mediocre season that has the US-flagged team third overall in the season championship standings. In the Season 4 starter in Chicago the team finished ninth, one place ahead of the rookies of SailGP Germany. They were fifth in Los Angeles and St. Tropez, and then third in Taranto, Italy, before reaching and winning the one-race finale in Andalucia-Cadiz.

One critical difference between Taranto and Cadiz was the substitution of SailGP USA flight controller Hans Henken, who was injured in Taranto. Stepping into the role in Cadiz was U.S. Virgin Islander Taylor Canfield, who was more present in the US compound late in the season and is expected to take over the helm in Dubai with the team under new ownership. An announcement regarding the sale of the team is expected next week. With Spithill’s departure there will likely be a number of personnel changes in the sailing and management team.

SailGP Canada also announced this week that its veteran wing trimer Chris Draper was leaving the team ahead of the Dubai event.

“I have the utmost respect for Chris, as a sailor and friend,” said SailGP Canada’s Phil Robertson in a team-issued statement. “Chris was an integral part of the Canadian team since inception, providing a very stable influence for the team,” said Robertson. “Chris’ expertise and experience were key in developing and upskilling this new team. We have been through incredible highs and lows since the start of Season 3 and Chris played a critical part in the successes of the team to date. Chris is a leader, mentor, teacher and most importantly a great friend to all.”

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After a weekend of two halves, Ben Ainslie’s Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team secured back to back wins, adding the ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix title to his France Sail Grand Prix win in Saint-Tropez. Tom Slingsby’s Australia and Jimmy Spithill’s USA finished in second and third respectively with Slingsby holding onto the overall lead despite an event win alluding him so far this season.

The racing in Taranto saw two ends of the spectrum with Saturday’s racing taking place in windy and wild conditions and Sunday’s in light winds that eventually would disappear and cause the final podium race to be terminated.

The race for the final was hotly contested and after some of the fleet failed to make the time limit in race five it was Great Britain, Australia and United States that made the cut. It was an incredible feat for Spithill whose team had regrouped and were motivated to put in a good performance following a tough day yesterday which saw teammate Hans Henken taken to hospital following an injury during a maneuver.

Spithill said: “I felt like we sailed better than anyone today. We showed that in the first two races today and then we were leading the final in marginal conditions. But we had a lot of purpose today. Without doubt, this was the toughest event we’ve ever had as a team given what happened to Hans yesterday. But he sent us a message this morning to ‘get out there and crush it’, and that’s what we did.”

As the final three-boat podium race took place, the wind started to shut off and despite the race management’s best endeavors and trying to shorten the course, the 16-minute time limit came and went. With the termination of the final, this meant that Great Britain would be declared the winner – as the overall leader after the previous five races with an impressive 2-2-3-1-2 scoreline – with Australia taking second and the U.S. third.

Ainslie said: “It looked like USA was going to score a pretty historic win after a traumatic Saturday and then at the last minute we found some breeze on our own and it looked like we were going to go around the outside and take the win. Then they terminated the race. The emotions. It was a roller coaster ride but I’m just delighted for the team after a really solid performance over the five races this weekend. It was a good win.”

At the prize ceremony, Ainslie gave Emirates GBR’s strategist Hannah Mills credit for the team’s win – due to her excellent ability to spot the best conditions to get the boat to the front of the fleet – and it was Mills that proudly lifted the winner’s trophy aloft.

Mills said: “Considering how challenging it was I think we were literally at zero knots for quite a lot of the race and it was so intense. We just kept calm and always felt like there was going to be an opportunity to get back into the race – and there was. But we ran out of time, so it was a tough race.”

Reining Season Champions Australia made up the final podium spot and has hung onto its overall lead from Great Britain and Deigo Botin’s Spain, although Slingsby is still looking for that elusive win in Season 4.

Slingsby said: “I think the British deserved the win. We found ourselves saying it’s good for the overall points but it would be nice to win. They had the best points and I think that’s a lot fairer than if we finished that race somewhere and it would have been who’s ahead at the right time. We got told when they called it off we’re ahead but I don’t think we deserved to be ahead so I’m happy for the British.”

The European leg of Season 4 of SailGP concludes in three weeks with the Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucia-Cadiz on October 14-15. The home team Spain currently sits in third place on the championship leaderboard and the team will be looking to get back in the event final and even clinch a win in front of the Spanish fans.

ROCKWOOL ITALY SAIL GRAND PRIX | TARANTO FINAL STANDINGS

SAILGP SEASON 4 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after four events)

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