New venue, same result.
A return to Great Britain has coincided with a return to the top step of the SailGP podium for the Black Foils, with the New Zealand crew taking out the regatta in Portsmouth this morning.
Closing out an impressive weekend of sailing on the Solent in the best possible fashion, the Black Foils defended the title they won in Plymouth the last time SailGP visited Great Britain in 2022.
The team has had its ups and downs in season five as they build into the season, but this was their best showing of the campaign so far, claiming their first event win since the season opener in Dubai in December.
The win also lifts the Black Foils to the top of the season leaderboard heading into the second half of the campaign.
“It’s unreal. I think [that’s] one of our best moments in SailGP,” Black Foils wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.
In the final against Great Britain and Switzerland, the latter making their first appearance in a podium race, the Black Foils kept their composure after being late to the starting line and chasing the other teams.
It wasn’t long before they were in contention though, with tactical errors from both the Swiss and Great Britain opening the door for the Kiwis who were happy to walk through it.
By the midway point of the race, the Black Foils held the lead and it looked as though a mistake would be all that could stop them from winning the title. That mistake never came, and the Kiwis closed it out.
It was a tricky weekend for the teams, with a course full of obstacles adding to the changing conditions, which led to an error-ridden day of racing through the final three fleet races.
In choppier conditions than seen on day one, the Black Foils made a strong start. While they opened the door for Canada to fly through a big gap off the starting line in the first of the day’s fleet races, they set themselves up to contend for the lead early. They were able to get past the Canadians at the third gate and sailed on to victory.
Despite a poor start in the day’s second contest, a race filled with penalty carnage benefited the Kiwis, as several teams in front of them were forced to fall behind the fleet for various infringements, while bad manoeuvres cost others. That allowed the Kiwis to fight back for fifth to all but secure their spot in the event final, then won the final fleet race for good measure.
After missing the opening day’s racing due to a wingsail issue, France were able to return to racing after an all-night recovery job from the SailGP tech team, using new and salvaged parts from the team’s existing wing.
SailGP are continuing to investigate the incident that saw the French wing appear to tear at the top, but said it was not related to the component that had been strengthened across the fleet prior to last month’s event in New York.
“Our teams are continuing a full and detailed review of the incident, with no obvious technical or load-related fault apparent at this time.
“We have identified the issue is not related to the shear web replacements installed prior to and following the New York event, with further testing to continue at our SailGP Technologies facilities in Southampton, UK.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.