If you have never watched SailGP, now would be the time to start. The six race series held last weekend in Lyttelton Harbor, New Zealand was a great show from start to finish. The fact that SailGP got the event off without delay is a miracle in itself after the rough time they had in Sydney, AUS only 4 weeks earlier.
Complete video of every race is available on YouTube here. The races last 15 minutes each, so you can watch all six in less than 2 hours. If you want the full suspense, stop reading now and go watch the races. If you have already seen it, or want to just skip to the good parts, here it is race by race.
Race 1: Continuing their dominance from Sydney, France comes out swinging and wins their 4th race in a row (all three in Sydney and the first one of this event).
Race 2: Local boys on New Zealand show their incredible speed and sail away with it.
Race 3: Canada wins the race, powerhouse Australia finishes last! New Zealand holds onto the top spot overall. Remember, only the top three teams after 5 races go on to compete for the overall event win. With a 4, 2, 9 Australia is in 5th place at the end of the first day.
Race 4: This race could be the most interesting. Australia runs away with the race while New Zealand, who had logged a 2, 1, 2 so far, rounds the first mark in 8th, followed only by Canada in last. At mark 2, New Zealand has picked up one place to 7th, and at mark 3 New Zealand jumps to 2nd! Stunning speed. Canada finishes six and takes themselves back out of the top three. So with only 1 fleet race left to go, the home team Kiwis are almost assured of a spot in the final. Great Britain, France, Canada, and Australia are going to have to fight it out for the other two spots – and there is only 2 points between them. Anyone can get it.
Race 5: Great Britain gets over focused on France and they both are slow at the start. Australia and New Zealand are out front with the USA – too little too late for the USA as usual. Australia wins again, jumping from a distant 5th at the beginning of the day to 2nd place and secure in the final. Canada gets 4th, just good enough to make it into the final by 1 point – mostly because GBR and FRA did so badly with 6th and 7th.
In the final, all three boats have great starts and the drag race to the first mark is anyone’s to win. Canada has the inside and makes it work rounding the first mark first.
The Canadian boat is also driven by a Kiwi, Phil Robinson, and he is fighting it out with the heaviest of heavyweights, Australia and New Zealand – in his home country. Canada has never won a SailGP final and is not even expected to be in a final. Now, in a home event down under, we have the two Kiwi drivers and an Aussie, neck and neck in the winner take all final.
Canada out front again at mark 3. The Australians and New Zealanders are still more focused on each other while Canada goes to the right side of the course by themselves and jumps out by over 100 meters. Phil and his Canadian team look really calm and cool and keep the lead at mark 4. Then the first show of nerves. Canada has a bad gybe, reducing their lead from 250 meters to 80! But still barely ahead at mark 5, with New Zealand right on their tail during the rounding. Then Canada tacks in a bad spot and has to go slow around an obstruction of the course while New Zealand just rips and takes away the lead. After a small shift, Canada gets the lead back, but only by a paper thin margin. They are dead even on the way into mark 6. They round overlapped.
On their way down the last downwind leg, Canada goes out of the boundary and has to take a penalty! New Zealand still just ripping away. But, not giving up, Canada gets a miracle puff and screams down to the last mark and makes it with New Zealand right on their tail, and Australia right after that.
And now you can take a breath!
San Francisco is going to be awesome in May.
Links and Resources
Day 1 in New Zealand (races 1, 2 and 3): https://www.youtube.com/live/rXSlrDaqQpE?
Day 2 in New Zealand (races 4, 5 and final): https://www.youtube.com/live/_yhVckE3VDU?
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