As the Black Foils continue to wait for their return to SailGP, other teams in the fleet continue to take advantage of the talent stuck on the sidelines.
Last month, strategist Liv Mackay joined the French team on loan in Brazil and is again with that team in Bermuda thisweek.
But she’s not the only Black Foils sailor who will be on the water this weekend, with grinder Marcus Hansen also being loaned out by the New Zealand team.
“I’m delighted to get the chance to jump on board Rockwool Racing [Denmark] for the next two events. It has been frustrating not being able to compete in recent weeks, so this is a fantastic opportunity to get back on the water with a great team and stay sharp,” Hansen said.
The move comes after the Black Foils confirmed they would not be able to sail in either Bermuda or New York but were hopeful of getting back on the water when SailGP returns to Halifax, Canada in late June.
Marcus Hansen will sail for Denmark in the next two SailGP events. Photo / Beau Outteridge, Rockwool Racing
Hansen was a welcome addition for the Danish team, who are currently seventh in the overall standings.
They head into Bermuda 10 points outside of a place in the top three, with their best result of the season so far being fifth in last month’s regatta in Rio de Janeiro.
“Marcus is one of the most experienced grinders in SailGP and understands exactly what it takes to perform and win at this level,” Danish driver Nicolai Sehested said.
“Bringing an athlete of his calibre into our squad on a short-term basis is a no-brainer and gives us immediate strength for two important events.”
Missing both this week’s regatta in Bermuda and the New York stop at the end of the month means the Black Foils will have failed to complete six of the season’s 13 events.
Australia currently lead the campaign with 35 points, ahead of Great Britain on 29 and the USA on 27. The Kiwi crew will be hopeful that points are distributed across the fleet over the next event and not just dominated by the current leaders, if they’re to have a chance of playing catch-up. As it stands, six teams have 20 or more points.
Having only completed two fleet races so far this season, the Black Foils have just two season points – perhaps benefiting from a smaller points pool when the fleet was split in half for day two in Auckland, which allowed them to finish the event in a points-scoring position.
