Sir Russell Coutts spoke to Newstalk ZB about the Auckland SailGP and his future plans for the event. Video / NZ Herald
Canadian sailor Billy Gooderham has been cleared of serious injury after an incident on board saw his team miss a day of SailGP’s Auckland debut.
Gooderham, the flight controller for the NorthStar Canada SailGP team, was transported to the hospital after injuring his right shoulder and ribs on Sunday.
The team had made their way out on to the course with the rest of the fleet and were going through their pre-race warm-ups, but ultimately did not make it to the starting line for the day after an incident left Gooderham unable to continue.
“He really copped a big one in our first round-up of the day. He was on the leeward side and we turned up, had a high fly and a big stuff, and a big wall of water just knocked him over,” driver Giles Scott said.
“After the incident, he was conscious and talking, but he went away pretty swiftly. Gutting for the team, but it just goes to show that a flight controller is pretty hard to replace.”
Gooderham was taken to hospital for X-rays, which showed he had not broken anything, though he did have a great deal of bruising and had his arm in a sling upon his return from the hospital.
Sunday’s conditions in Auckland served up plenty of spice, with the stronger winds and bigger sea state seeing plenty of splashdowns and a near-capsize.
The NorthStar Canada SailGP team was forced to withdraw from the second day of SailGP's Auckland debut. Photo / Bob Martin, SailGP
The event was the league’s first time using the high-speed T-foiils, and with the flight controller’s job being to maintain the flight and stability of the boat, it was a weekend in which the flight controllers were perhaps under a bit more pressure as the teams adjusted to the new tech.
Gooderham was one of two flight controllers injured during the week. Red Bull Italy’s Andrea Tesei sustained an undisclosed injury during practice racing on Friday and was unavailable for the weekend’s racing.
However, the Italians were lucky in that they were able to recruit Kiwi sailor Jason Saunders to man the controls as his French team could not compete due to an issue with the wingsail of their boat.
Saunders has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the F50 foiling catamarans, having sailed with the US and Swiss teams before joining the French midway through season four.
There was no such replacement available for the Canadians, who instead had to make the tough call to not race on Sunday.
“It wasn’t like you could just put somebody else that role; [those were] not the conditions to throw in a new flight controller with very little experience. It’s just not safe. We had to make the call to not race,” Scott said.
As a result, the team did not score any points on Sunday, turning what was shaping up to be a solid event for them into a 10th-placed finish.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
