After racing was brought forward due to the threat of thunderstorms in the area, it was again a case of light winds limiting how much foiling the teams were doing and seeing the crews sail with just three people aboard.
While there was some foiling to be had, a lot of the day was contested in displacement, and both fleet races had to be cut to just four legs. It was slow going, and the Black Foils couldn’t find a way to make it work for them.
It was a different story for the German team, who finished the two fleet races in first and third on day two to sneak into the event final, where they claimed their maiden SailGP regatta title.
The Black Foils made a good start to the first race of the day, hitting the starting line among the frontrunners before settling mid-fleet. That was where they stayed, awarded fifth when the race reached its 16-minute time limit.
After a long delay waiting for the breeze to fill in, a more interesting race unfolded in the final fleet race, where the Black Foils were running second early, but made what was ultimately a costly tactical decision and saw their position slip.
They were later penalised for not giving room to Canada at a marker, and quickly saw what could have been another appearance in an event final become a case of trying to limit the damage.
Finishing the event in eighth and picking up three points, the Black Foils lose their place at the top of the season leaderboard.
Australia, who finished second in the regatta, moved to the top with 76 points, ahead of Great Britain on 75 after their fourth-place finish in Switzerland, and the Black Foils falling to third on 73.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
