The New Zealand SailGP Team reveal new Black Foils name. Video / New Zealand SailGP Team
As the Black Foils approached this weekend’s SailGP event in New York, building momentum was the target of the weekend.
The New Zealand crew went into the event with a healthy lead on the overall leaderboard and are well poised to contest the grand final in SanFrancisco next month. However, recent events have left them wanting more and going into that $2m race with some form behind them.
On opening day in New York, however, momentum was hard to come by.
With conditions making life difficult on the Hudson River, the Black Foils ended the opening day of racing third on the leaderboard with a fifth and a third from the two races.
While three fleet races were scheduled to be run, the day’s final hit-out was abandoned just after it started as the wind had died right down and none of the boats could get on their foils. It was a day that showed just how quickly conditions can change on the water, after the teams were able to race at speed in the first of the day, before the second was reduced from seven legs to four mid-race as the breeze dropped off.
“It was a bit of everything, really,” Black Foils strategist Liv Mackay told the Herald. “We started off the warm-up and it was pretty full on. It was gusting 15-16 knots and really full-on with the current, then it just quickly died away. There were a lot of different weather systems going on and thunderstorms, so, yeah ... pretty full-on really.”
While the wind had died away, Mackay said she was surprised the final race of the day was abandoned given the effect the current on the river had on the sailors’ ability to read the breeze.
“The wind had been so up and down, and it was quite hard to see the wind actually on the water, so there was potentially more wind around the course that we couldn’t really see and that we’d sail into at some point,” Mackay said.
“It was hard to know, and you’re always just switched on and focused so I was surprised by those conditions don’t show the best of the boat so I completely understand.”
The Black Foils finished third on the leaderboard after the opening day of racing in New York. Photo / Bob Martin, SailGP
Starts were again a problem for the Black Foils as they left themselves with work to do across the line in both of the completed races.
In the event’s opening contest, the New Zealand crew looked to come from deep in the starting box to hit the starting line at pace when they were cleared to cross it. However, they needed a gap in the fleet to open up and when France slammed the door on them, they were forced to the back of the fleet.
A team who have been able to make up ground all season with their boat speed, that was again going to be vital for the Black Foils and it didn’t take long until they were up to sixth.
With a fleet-leading average speed of 48.8kmh and flight time of 97 per cent, the Black Foils were able to salvage a fifth-placed finish in the race.
Taking a different approach to start in second, they turned back towards the line early to time their run down the inside of the fleet. They were still a bit slow when the line went clear, but undercut the fleet around the first marker.
Falling off the foils was an issue for every team early in the race, but the Black Foils sailed into good pressure and were able to shoot out to second.
They led the race down the final leg, but again came off the foils which saw Switzerland and Canada get ahead of them before they got going again and claimed third place.
While the fleet started the day’s final race, it was quickly abandoned as all 10 boats were sailing in displacement.
As a result, the Black Foils will head into day two of the event well-placed to make a charge into the podium race, contested by the event’s top three teams.
