However, of the four teams vying for the three places in tomorrow’s grand final race, the Black Foils ended day one as the highest-ranked of that bunch.
Spain, the only team ranked outside the top three still with a chance to move into the final, left themselves plenty of work to do as they sat 11th on the ladder.
Australia, currently third in the season standings, sit 10th in the event, with the British at the foot of the 12-team leaderboard.
After the Kiwis finished sixth in the last race of the day, Burling was heard over the race comms suggesting their F50 Amokura had sustained some damage to its rudder, which was caused by the vessel being hit by the Swiss team during the start of the contest.
It was a slow day of racing in Abu Dhabi. With expectedly low winds, the teams only sailed with three athletes on board as they tried to make their way around the course.
The Black Foils consistently found themselves shuffled back to midfield after the first mark, regardless of how well they started, and the day proved a tough one for finding passing lanes.
Mid-table finishes certainly won’t trouble the Kiwi crew through fleet racing as they look to capture the title that has so far eluded them. However, should they finish three places ahead of Great Britain in regatta, they would be the highest-ranked team going into the final for a second-straight year and receive the cash prize that goes with that.
In the small starting box, the Black Foils largely executed their approaches to the course proper well, while it seemed that in every race other teams were being penalised for crossing the starting line early.
The Black Foils did draw the ire of the umpires during the day’s racing but ultimately won’t be too unhappy with their position going into the second day of the event.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
