How New Zealand SailGP team maximised rapid turnaround for opening event of new season in Chicago

Wing trimmer Blair Tuke says the New Zealand SailGP team have made the most of their month away. Photo / Ricardo Pinto / SailGP

SailGP is doing things a little differently.

For most sports leagues around the world, there is a significant period of downtime between seasons, where athletes get a chance to refresh before a new campaign.

But just over a month after the season finale in San Francisco, SailGP’s new season gets underway in Chicago on Saturday — the first leg in an extended 12-event calendar which runs through to mid-July next year.

Plenty has changed in the league within that month, from crew changes to the addition of a German team for the new season, and while a limited time, it has given those established teams a chance for wider reflection and improvement.

“Time’s certainly flown between the grand final in San Francisco and the season four opener here in Chicago. I guess the last month or five weeks, we’ve had the ability to first off debrief San Francisco and the season as a whole, and it has given us an opportunity to look at what changes or how to make bigger steps forward,” New Zealand SailGP team wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.

“I guess as you head to the final end of the season like we did as we headed to San Francisco, you’re making minor tweaks because obviously, it was still a race to get into the final.

“We’ve had the opportunity now to look at some possibilities of how we sail the boat; you won’t see anything drastic, but we’ve got a chance to make some slightly bigger changes in order to step forward.

“We’re heading into this weekend pretty excited. It’s a good place to be — the start of season four and ready to go.”

The New Zealand team come into the new season as a settled outfit, with the same group who contested the majority of events in their last campaign back on the starting line in Chicago. The group will have Jo Aleh replace Liv Mackay in the strategist role for events three and four of the season as they clash with the ETF 26 Grand Prix in which Mackay is the skipper of the Live Ocean Racing Team.

They return to the SailGP arena after reflecting on a successful second season in the league, in which they achieved several milestones such as winning their first event and qualifying for the US$1m shootout — ultimately finishing the campaign as runners-up.

They’re looking to go one better this time around, and that starts in Chicago this weekend.

“We did a debrief of the whole season and where we are is good,” Tuke said.

“That was quite a pleasing process as well because the team, we did come so far from the beginning and that leaves us in a great position heading into season four now.

“We’ve got really good continuity in the sailing team. The same crew that was in San Francisco is here in Chicago and will be for the first two or three events at least, so that gives us a good foundation to build from as we head into the season.”