The only New Zealand sailor to hoist the SailGP season championship will be representing his home country for the remainder of the year.
After parting ways with the Swiss team, grinder Stewart Dodson has been signed to sail for the Black Foils for the remainder of the campaign, withthe New Zealand team hopeful of returning to the water in Halifax, Canada, in late June.
Dodson will sail in the backwards-facing G1 position, as cover for Louis Sinclair, who continues to recover after suffering injuries to both legs in the team’s crash with France in Auckland in February. Dodson joins incumbent G2 grinder Marcus Hansen and reserve Finn Henry in the power unit.
The Black Foils said Sinclair’s recovery was going well and he was expected to return to top-level sailing, potentially before the end of the current season.
Dodson remained with the Swiss for the beginning of the 2026 season, including sailing with them in Auckland, before he and the team parted ways ahead of last month’s regatta in Rio de Janeiro.
Grinder Stewart Dodson (right) was part of the SailGP championship-winning Spanish team in 2024. Photo / SailGP
A representative from the Swiss team told the Herald they were surprised at Dodson’s decision to leave the team, but they ended things on good terms.
Dodson’s signing means the Black Foils have plenty of capable options in the crew and there would be no pressure on Sinclair to try to return before his body is fully recovered and ready for the high-performance environment.
It will also mean the Black Foils won’t have to pile a larger workload on Henry, who is also the team’s shore crew manager and is continuing to develop as a grinder.
The Black Foils remain without a set timetable for a return; however, after being ruled out of this weekend’s regatta in Bermuda and the event in New York at the end of the month, the target is currently the event in Halifax on June 21-22.
SailGP have had to build the Kiwis a new boat after their F50 catamaran Amokura was badly damaged in the collision with France in Auckland.
While some of the vessel could be salvaged, those parts were used to rebuild the French boat where applicable in order to get that team back on the water as soon as possible.
France got priority in the rebuilding order as the Black Foils were deemed to be at fault for the crash.
Mackay won’t be the only Black Foils sailor back in action in Bermuda, with Hansen joining the Danish team in place of grinder Luke Payne, who is unavailable for the next two events due to personal reasons.
Hansen has been loaned out by the Black Foils to the Denmark team for both Bermuda and New York.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
