Sailing across the finish line ahead of Australia and Denmark, the Black Foils finally had their breakthrough moment in SailGP.
It took more than a season of getting up to speed and showing signs of promise, but in season three’s regatta in Great Britain, the New Zealand team finallyfound themselves at the top of the podium.
It wasn’t just that they won the event in Plymouth, but the way they got the job done. Across the six races in the weekend, they finished in the top two five times.
With that first regatta win finally under their belts, they went on to sweep the following regatta in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was shortened due to light conditions on the first day of racing.
While Great Britain fell off the schedule in season four, the Black Foils return to this weekend’s regatta in Portsmouth with fond memories.
“It obviously took us a little while to get that under our belt, so I think it was a [really] nice breakthrough milestone for the team and we went on a really good run of form from there,” Black Foils driver Peter Burling told the Herald.
“Definitely [have] some super fond memories of that.”
The Black Foils are currently third in the SailGP season five standings. Photo / SailGP
Since that first win, the New Zealand crew have become one of the top teams in the global foiling series; appearing in the three-team grand final shootout in seasons three and four, while currently sitting third in season five just two points off the lead.
Despite incorporating some new personnel into the team with Sam Meech joining in a coaching role and Leo Takahashi replacing Andy Maloney as flight controller, the Kiwis made a fast start to the season by winning the opening event in Dubai.
However, a string of frustrating results followed, where poor execution and issues with their boat saw them finish fourth in Auckland before tying a career-worst by finishing eighth in Sydney.
They have bounced back with two top-three finishes across the three American legs of the series and will look to continue that momentum as they begin the European swing.
Reflecting on how far the team has come since that first win, Burling said it was incredible to see how the level has risen across the fleet.
Andy Maloney (right) joined SailGP newcomers Brazil as their flight controller for season five. Photo / SailGP
“The benchmark just keeps getting pushed further and further out.
“The way everyone’s gotten so comfortable with the equipment and the margins for error from being at the front of the fleet to further back, I think if you put, well definitely ourselves [now] back then, you’d win pretty comfortably, but probably a lot of the top six, I think, would absolutely smash it,” he said.
“I mean, it’s just incredible to see the way the league’s progressing and the level across the board is just going up so quickly. For us, that target’s obviously making sure you continue to build so you get into the final in Abu Dhabi [in November], and then you’ve got a shot of winning the season championship.
“For us, that’s very much the target, making sure we’re the best team we can be. Well, firstly, making sure you make it into the final, but making sure we’re the best team we possibly can be by then.
“It’s been super exciting to have a few changes this year and get that fresh energy into the group, but then obviously with that takes a bit of a building phase, and we’re really excited by the way we’ve been building and gaining momentum.
“We obviously had a few challenges throughout the year with a few issues with the gear etc, but I’m really excited by the way the group’s building.”
