The SailGP season is exciting and complicated. The most recent leg in Christchurch, New Zealand, saw the Black Foils (the home team) win and take the top spot on the leaderboard from Australia. The US team lies 6th after 9 events. There are only 4 more events this season, all 4 of which are in the North America region, so at least one is a drive or short flight from you if you are based in the US or Canada.
SailGP's epic return to Christchurch, NZ, last week wasn't just race 9 of a record-breaking season – it was a weekend of heart-stopping action, playful pod crashes, and a crowd unlike any other! Practice turned dramatic as the mighty F50 fleet battled blustery conditions on Friday. Tensions soared even higher when a tactical blunder by Emirates GBR (Britain) saw them collide with Spain, leaving the Brits docked with potentially hefty penalties.
But wait! Mother nature had other plans. Day one's racing was nixed due to an adorable invasion – a pod of dolphins decided the racecourse was their playground. No sailing took place out of rightful concern for the dolphins.
So, come Sunday, the teams were chomping at the bit. The starting gun unleashed chaos as Denmark tangled with Canada, sending them careening into the boat! The drama continued as Australia's Tom Slingsby narrowly avoided a Canadian collision, leaving his F50 worse for wear.
Local hero Peter Burling didn't let that dampen Kiwi spirits. They rocketed to victory in the first race in front of a record-breaking crowd, leaving France and Spain in their wake. Season 3 champion Phil Robertson's Canada bounced back to win race 2, with France taking the final fleet race.
But the real battle was for the podium. New Zealand's consistent performance landed them straight in the finals alongside France and Canada. In a nail-biting showdown, the Kiwis aced the start and held off Canada and France's desperate charges. They stormed across the finish line, claiming the event title, the roar of the home crowd echoing their delight. This win not only secured them the Christchurch crown, but also stole the overall season lead from Australia.
Since the event concluded the SailGP umpires (referees) have reviewed the footage from the event and analyzed the rules and have made some adjustments to the points.
Since the British team crashed with the Spanish team during practice, they got a penalty that cost them points for both the event and the overall season.
The Danish team (Rockwool DEN) crashed with the Canadian team at the start of the first race. Both Canada and the US (who got hit by the spinning Canada) weren't penalized, but Denmark got points docked. Even though their boat was damaged, they kept racing and finished ahead of Australia.
The Australian team got the biggest penalty. Their driver steered their boat into a race marker to avoid hitting the Canadian team. They argued they shouldn't be fully responsible because the marker was in a bad spot, but the official said they should have known about it and avoided it anyway. This crash cost them the most points for both the event and the season.
The officials said giving out penalties is always tough, and they obviously realize it hurts a team's chances of winning, but it's important to avoid crashes so that nobody is harmed and all the boats can keep racing. These rules and the accompanying penalties are necessary. Sailing is not without danger. These boats fly across the water and mistakes can be deadly. If you remember, two-time Olympic sailing medalist, Andrew Simpson, was killed in 2014 when a 72-foot catamaran flipped in the San Francisco bay during training for the America's Cup races. The 36-year-old Brit was trapped underwater beneath the trampoline connecting the twin hulls of the boat. The cat appeared to have knifed head-first into the water and flipped end over end. A similar accident happened to Team USA's boat the year before but there were no fatalities, only damage to the boat.
High speed catamarans are designed to slice through the water at unprecedented speeds and have been described as "monsters, beasts, or freaks". The organizers call SailGP the sailing equivalent of Formula one. But after this last event maybe it's more like "NASCAR on the water."
If you want to judge for yourself, the high-octane action is in Bermuda next on May 4th-5th. Get your tickets here and be part of the next epic chapter! If you do go, please stay safe.
